


Guardian Blue:  Season 1

by Alps_Sarsis



Series: Guardian Blue [3]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, Fear, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Kindness, Police, Tenderness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-09
Updated: 2017-04-16
Packaged: 2018-10-01 18:02:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 170,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10195775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alps_Sarsis/pseuds/Alps_Sarsis
Summary: This long-running and emotional story will follow the continuing adventures of Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde about six months after they become partners.  There will be parental misunderstandings, pranks, growing friendships, a trip to Judy's hometown, and a new dark and dangerous case that will take all their wit, strength, and heart just to survive.My story "Thanks for the Fox" comes BEFORE this story, and should be read before Season 1.This tale will have occasional crude references/language by angry suspects or the occasional reference to sex, violence, drug use, etc.  Sometimes mammals get hurt or worse, but I won't make graphic violence a heavy feature.  This is not the central theme to Guardian Blue, but it can be encountered.  There will be no explicit activity in this series.





	1. Holiday

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Zootopia, Disney, or any of the characters from the movie. I also do not claim ownership of original characters used in the series as they would not exist without Disney's gift of Zootopia to its fans.
> 
> I write this series for my own enjoyment, and the enjoyment of others. Have fun reading!

 

A soaking wet coyote burst from the watery canal that ran between Marshland Avenue and Hill Street, used by some of Zootopia’s more aquatic citizens.  That particular canal was used mostly by hippos.  The medium-sized canid hooked the pull bar at the exit of the canal and hefted himself over a grated metal plate and tumbled sloppily onto the street.  Out of breath he shook himself off to unload some of the weight of water clinging to his fluffy brown-toned form.  His dark eyes darted side to side looking for an avenue of escape.  He didn’t have long. 

 

A rapid thump-thump-thump was heard and he glanced to see the plastic canopy shaking a bit over the canal.  Above the waterline, a grey bunny in a custom fit police uniform bounced lightning quick back and forth between both sides of the protective shell that fit over the canal.   The covering was there to prevent mammals, especially kits and cubs, from falling in.  Officer Judy Hopps wasn’t swimming in the canal.  She was ricocheting back and forth along the heavy duty plastic.  While the canine had a lead in the chase initially, he didn’t anymore!

 

The coyote bolted for a row of newsstands set back from the road conveniently for those mammals using those canals.  They certainly didn’t want to have a paper with them when they did.  He wedged himself between two of the booths, earning the stunned shock of a wiry otter working the associated two stands. 

 

The bunny officer never touched the water, bouncing right out of the plastic arch-work and confidently onto the sidewalk, panting heavily as she searched for the coyote.  She rolled her eyes as she saw the explosion of water darkening the ground in a sun-flare pattern and the unmistakable trail of droplets that retreated between the booths where an irritated otter stared back at her.  Judy shouted back to the canal.

 

“I’m gonna stay on him!  Catch up, Nick!”  The suddenly turbulent water signaled the presence of her partner.  Judy moved in between the booths and looked left and right.  She took a moment to listen for him before hearing a deep gasp from the canal.  She glanced back as Nick hauled himself rather pitifully out of the water.  The bounce back and forth thing was not as effective for his larger mass, so he did a splendid job _nearly_ keeping up with his swimming alone. 

 

The soaking wet fox called out, “I’m here, Fluff, clear to engage!”  He pulled himself out with some effort and immediately stepped onto the metal plate at the exit.  It clicked.  Nick glanced down, eyes wide.  “NnnOOoooooooo!”  The powerful fan-driven air dryer purposed to rapidly de-saturate a fully clothed hippo switched on at full blast, roaring to life and sending Nick instantly skyward.  Judy had already darted in the direction that she saw some water trailing.  At Nick’s cry, the bunny looked back, but she didn’t see him by the canal.  Where did he go?  She didn’t think to look up at first, but Nick called out over the din of the fan, getting her attention.  Judy then stood up fully and stared in shock at her partner hovering, limbs splayed out, tail vertical.  He was in a horizontal sky-diving position, about thirty feet up.

 

“Nick?!” she cried.

 

“He’s armed, he’s got a broom stick or something at your ten, he’s getting away!” called the fox.  Judy grinned.  It was not flattering for the fox but he had eyes in the sky and that helped.  Judy bolted in the direction Nick signaled, and she blocked the exit of the coyote as he headed toward the stairs.  They would have taken him off the main plaza and into a shopping area where he’d be able to find easier cover.  The frantic canid gripped the stick, ready to swing at the bunny.  The suspect that Judy had been chasing was exhausted from swimming the canal and running even longer than that but he snarled and rose up against Judy.  She was a bunny!  He likely thought that would be terrifying.  He was a larger predator with a weapon, suddenly ready to lunge.  The coyote appeared unable to mentally process what happened next. 

 

The bunny didn’t look afraid.  She looked delighted!  It was exactly what she planned for.  This was everything she’d practiced with Nick.  The coyote recoiled as it seemed the lapine had gone mad.  He was too slow to stop the sudden grey furry rocket that launched from her position and planted her shoulder right in his breadbasket.  That folded the canine in half and took him off his feet.  Judy wrapped her arms around his torso using what remained of their momentum as he fell backwards to then brace herself against his chest.  As he landed, she kicked off, a second impact occurring from behind for the coyote as he hit the ground hard.  Judy skidded to a stop and turned and pounced.  She was on him in a second before the stick even finished clattering on the ground.  He whined as he went kind of limp, finding that he was quickly pawcuffed and on his belly with a rabbit standing on his back.   It was done so fast that he couldn’t completely fathom what had happened.  He didn’t have to guess what those powerful legs could do to him if he tried to get up.  He stayed still, panting raggedly.

 

Judy glanced back up at her partner, who gave her a ‘thumbs up’ and appeared to be enjoying the wind in his face just a little too much.  The fan shut off and Nick flailed a bit in panic.  Fortunately, it didn’t just stop the wind instantly.  It died down in a couple of seconds so that he descended swiftly but safely enough back to the grate, landing on all fours.  He moved over to his partner swiftly and helped her get the coyote up to his feet.  Judy called in the take-down on the radio and requested a stand down for the officer assistance call from before.  Nick leaned back against one of the newsstands as Judy read the canine his rights. 

 

The fox spoke up after Judy finished the official reading.  “C’mon, Mike…”  He helped the mammal in the direction Judy was going, back to their car a few blocks over.  “… I don’t suppose you want to tell us where the large bag of Happy Town Black that was in the hat you dropped came from?  It would really help us out!  And, if you help us out, we can help you out.  It’s something we do.”  Nick smiled encouragingly at the fellow canid.

 

“Not givin’ scat to you, fox, not widdout a lawyer.  And I intend to be suin’ the city for damages from that _maniac_ rabbit.  She’s outta control!” he barked.  Judy didn’t say anything as Nick walked with him.  Given her size, she was not likely to really harm her suspects in a take-down, but she could not afford to treat them with kid gloves either.  If they intended to fight, they would have a real fight.  This had certainly not been the first time.

 

Nick answered casually, “Yeah, and you can bring that to the city, but they are gonna weigh that against the ‘big predator with a potentially deadly weapon’ and laugh at you for getting folded up like origami by a bunny.  The poison’s coming from somewhere, Mikey.  I got enough to have you distributing, but if you just maybe tell us a few places you _didn’t_ get it, a hint, if you will, maybe I just say its personal use and you are just a walking one-pup party, huh?”  Mike snarled at Nick, who, while smaller, seemed to have him under control all the same as they approached the car.

 

“Nothin’ doing pest,” came the heavily used derogatory remark aimed at Judy’s partner.  She gritted her teeth.  It was one of her least favorite.  “Try and stick what you want to me, I ain’t like you.  I ain’t about to go against my own.”  Nick shrugged at that and nodded to Judy who opened the back door of their cruiser.  The fox helped the coyote in after giving him one more thorough pat down for weapons and additional contraband and he then hopped into the cruiser.  A few mammals had seen the take down but fortunately the pair’s celebrity had died down with a couple months of fluff work so no one appeared to want to make a big deal about seeing the odd partners in action.  Judy got into the driver’s seat as usual and Nick in the passenger seat.  She started a casual drive back toward the precinct.

 

After a couple of miles the coyote started back up, the fox and bunny quietly listening to him give a not-so-unusual harassment that the officers often got from the back seat.

 

“So, who did the fox have dirt on to get through the academy, huh?” he asked.  No answer came to him.  He paused a moment and growled.  “The city must be gettin’ pretty desperate if they are takin’ fox candidates.  That, after weaponizing a cute bun with some freaky hormone experiment,” he huffed.  Still no response.  Both officers faced forward, Judy driving quietly and professionally.  Mike continued to verbally bite them as they arrived at a stoplight.  “If I paid the fox’s mum double on my next group session in her boo’dwah, you think I might still have a chance to git my charges bumped down?”  Mike tensed up a bit as Nick jerked forward, reaching into the vehicle’s console.  Here it came, lawsuit city!  He braced for it.  Nick suddenly held up a small white card to his partner.

 

“Bingo!” he cried with an excited grin.  Mike gazed back, dumbfounded.  Judy cried out.

 

“Noooo!  I was so close!  Two ways, too!”  She held up another card for the fox to see.  Nick took a little rubber stamp out of the center console and pressed it to the little card.  He held it up to the screen for Mike to see.  It was a bingo card.  Arranged around the one free space were all kinds of insults.  It had everything from ‘Judy is actually a buck’ to ‘Foxes are literally hell spawn’ to ‘Rabbits are Nature’s Candy’.  Several of these colorful sayings on Nick’s displayed card had cute little blue paw-print-shaped stamps on them.  The fresh stamp that Nick had just pressed was on the top right corner over ‘Nick’s mom is a bed-hopper’, earning him a top row victory.

 

“Oh you have got to be freakin’ kiddin’ me!” Mike groaned.  The pair completely ignored him more now that the game was over.

 

“We’re out of cards,” Judy stated, rummaging through the center console.

 

“I’ll get another pack from my desk after lunch,” Nick replied casually. 

 

As they pulled into the ZPD, the coyote growled out in a defeated tone, “I ain’t even gonna lie… that’s actually kinda fun.”

 

 

 

*************

 

 

Judy sat on the one high stool at the too-large table in the breakroom while Nick just stood up in the oversized chair beside her, brushing his tail.  The bunny watched him for a bit as she munched on her veggie wrap.  He was completely dry again, finally, and it was all she could do not to tease him about having been soaked.  However, there were several fox-stink insults on the bingo cards and she did not want to load a win for her partner on the way back.  She watched him groom for longer than she thought was polite to stare and looked away.  Given her own barely tear-drop of a tail, she could not help but be a little transfixed with the red and coal plume of softness that Nick appeared to unconsciously tease her with.  It wasn’t that she found it particularly attractive - she just could not help but be curious about it.  Just grabbing it would be terrible manners, so she didn’t dare.  She took another bite as she heard a deeper, growly voice behind her. 

 

“Your buddy decided to clam up way less in the interrogation room after we mentioned the word ‘cherry’ to him like you suggested, Wilde,” Wolfard explained calmly, sipping from a white paper cup.  The fact that it was a sip and not the sloppy lapping that he might otherwise whole-heartedly commit to made it obvious it was a hot drink, so probably coffee.  Nick nodded as he put his silver comb back in its little black case.  He placed the case back in the slender tote bag he kept in his locker.  Judy smiled at the grateful wolf as he leaned against the back of the chair Nick was standing in.  The two canids had become pretty good work buddies.  Judy was actually very glad to see that.  She worried that Nick would experience some push back initially.  While there had been a few holdouts who saw the fox’s playful nature as disrespectful, the results he got and his willingness to help everyone had earned him a place in the ranks. 

 

Nick answered Wolfard.  “I figured that might loosen his gums a little.”  He grinned that typical smug Nick Wilde grin.  Judy nodded to Wolfard.  The wolf tilted his head curiously.

 

“A girlfriend of his?” Wolfard asked, after the info was not immediately volunteered.

 

“Yep, but it’s not what you think,” Nick offered.  “He’s not tryin’ to protect the gal.”  The fox leaned back, seeming to feel better about his carefully maintained foxy appearance.  Judy would certainly tease him about it in the car later.  She could lick a finger and push a bit of fur out of place.  That always made him react with comical melodrama.

 

The lupine inquired, “Wait, so why did it look like we were about to take the most valuable thing in his life away from him when we said ‘Cherry’?”

 

Nick grinned and offered softly, “Cherry’s not his girl, she’s his ex, and she is not… entirely stable.  He’s not protecting her, he’s hiding from her,” Nick admitted.  Judy winced.  She did not really approve of holding something like that over someone, as he might well have good reason to hide.  Still, she would just have to trust her partner on this one.  Wolfard cackled however, seeming to feel far less sorry for Mike.  The coyote had been to the precinct plenty of times, so most folks knew him well enough to know he was not likely to change his ways by that afternoon.  Judy had even tried to give an inspirational talk to him, but he was not like Nick.  He didn’t choose his life out of surrender to an ideal, he chose it because for him it was easy, and doing things right was hard.  So far the bunny had not seen a potent way to fix that.  Wolfard strode away and Nick leaned back, sipping his own drink.  It was water, but he was not as loud about it as the wolf would have been.

 

“Nick…”  Judy leaned forward, elbows on the table in her stool.  The fox gazed over to her happily with his bright green eyes fixed on hers.  She appreciated that, as a con artist, he knew the importance of meeting someone’s gaze when they were speaking.  It made her feel more secure that he was listening.  “A couple weeks ago, Bogo told me I have a short time to use some of my vacation days…” she rubbed the back of her head a bit.

 

“Oh!  By all means, use them!  I don’t want to keep you from resting.  By the arrow, you’ve earned it.”  He gestured to her.

 

“Actually, I was not very comfortable with just leaving you in the lurch.  You know what will happen to you while I am gone, right?” she asked.

 

“I will be assigned someone else, since I’m the wet pelt?” he offered.

 

“Please don’t say it like that, it’s gross,” Judy murmured.  “You are a rookie!  But no, Bogo’s gonna probably put you on parking duty for the weekend.”  She frowned to her partner, both because he used a derogatory remark for himself, and that he would be terribly inconvenienced in her absence.  Nick cringed at parking duty.  Fortunately he had only endured it a couple of times.  However, it was the go-to for mammals whose partners were out sick, away on vacation, or otherwise indisposed.  This was sometimes even just while they were in court or performing other necessary duties.  The fox sighed.

 

“No, I… I still feel like you earned it.  I will suffer the wrath of the inappropriately parked for a while.  I want you to get some rest.  I don’t want your rest days to go away, Judy, that’s what happens if you just don’t take them,” he noted.  The bunny sighed and gazed at her partner.  Why was this thing so hard to ask?  It was a simple request, and it felt like she was asking to borrow organs from him that she did not intend to return.  She inhaled deeply and spoke again.

 

“Actually, I was thinking… there’s a way around you getting stuck with parking duty, and I think I can probably convince Bogo, since he felt bad about not telling me how close I was on my days.  I’ve already lost at least a few.”  Nick perked up.  Not having to do the less favored duty in Zootopia was easily priority to him.

 

“Go on,” He rested his chin on his palms, wagging his thick, freshly groomed tail slowly.

 

“See, I am gonna go back home from… Friday through Monday.  I’ll come back on Tuesday,” the bunny explained, putting her index fingers together, bridging them as if in thought.

 

“Sounds fun!” Nick chimed, “I know you miss your family.  Bunnies tend to be real close-knit, I hear.”  He nodded.  Judy blushed a little at Nick’s words, since ‘I hear’ probably meant he had looked it up.  Some of the things he knew about her were text-book things, leading the rabbit to think her partner likely researched bunnies on his spare time to make it easier to work with her.  It sometimes embarrassed her because she had not really done the same for him.  He seemed to be the one making all the concessions.  Still, he did not seem unhappy about that, and after the incident with her bringing his mother back to him, she wanted to let him get away with doing some special things for her.  Judy did not like that he felt indebted for that.  After a few seconds passed, he added, “So, how are you going to get me out of generating revenue instead of racking up a bill?” he inquired.  Judy glanced down.

 

“You have accrued four days of vacation.  I checked.  I’m taking you with me,”  she answered.  It was not posed as a permission-seeking request.

 

“What.”  Nick’s response was less a question and more a blunt response, like he had dropped a dish or something.

 

“C’mon Nick, it’s no big deal, and I think the fresh air and a little time out of the busy city will do you some good!” Judy stated brightly.

 

“Judy, your grandfather thinks I am _literally_ made of fire and brimstone.  Half your siblings seem to agree.  There’s actually a statue of a _dead fox_ in Bunnyburrow Arboretum.  I don’t think I would be very relaxed there.”  Judy waved her paw dismissively and gave an uncomfortable laugh.  How did he even know about the Hungry Todd statue?

 

She replied, “That artwork is of a fox who starved out of _reverence_ to the bunnies who saved his _life._  It’s a beautiful story or bitter sacrifice for friendship!  It’s not like they executed him!” Judy explained.

 

Nick crossed his arms.  “Did you know I could eat every single thing on your farm?  Why didn’t they _feed_ their fox, Fluff?”  Judy’s eyes widened.  “Uh huh,” the fox nodded.

 

“I… I think it’s just symbolic, Nick, and that was like... a hundred years ago.”  Judy perked up a bit.  “And besides, you won’t even have to deal with my grandfather, he’s in a retirement community now.  He’s hardly ever over.  Come on Nick, I would like to get out of here for a bit.  How long has it been since you were away from the city?” she asked.  Nick sighed a bit.

 

“Okay, you got me there.  I haven’t been out of Zootopia since I was 12 or 13 or so.  It’s been so long.  If you can promise me I won’t get strung up by angry rabbits, I will come and check out your home town, Fluff,” he chuckled.  Judy gave an excited squeak and cupped her muzzle.  She did not mean to let that out.  Nick arched an eyebrow. 

 

The bunny sucked in a quick breath and murmured, “Sorry, just… I really didn’t expect you to be okay with it.  I wanna show you some of my favorite places, introduce you to friends, and let you see how I spent my days before I became the nosy cop friend you know now!”  She grinned excitedly.  Her teeth were showing, which was a little rare for the bunny even as cheerful as she was.  Nick looked uncertain for a moment, but then the smug swept over his face.  The bunny braced for it. 

 

“Honestly?” Nick murmured, “I had always imagined you spent the summers of your youth solving mysteries like some Nancy Shrew junior mystery book.”  Judy held stark still. Okay, so maybe she did try to solve the occasional mystery in her youth, but the boys in her town who played baseball practiced for baseball by playing _baseball_ how else was she supposed to practice to be a cop?  Playing is the thing you do to prepare yourself and hone the skills of the real world!  That was how she played!  He didn’t have to… Oh wait, his smile was tender now.  That meant he was being playful.  She gave a nervous chuckle instead.

 

“Well, not far off.  I certainly never shrank way from an opportunity to help some mammal if I could.  Sharla and Gareth never had a hard time coming up with problems for me to solve, and I’ve had a reputation for it ever since I was ten, so I guess that fits.”  She shrugged, letting the fox know he was right again.  At least he was not one to rub her wiggling little nose in it.  Nick packed away his empty container which had held a variety of pickled veggies and rice in his bag and smiled.

 

“Well what weekend are you planning?  I have plans, not this weekend, but next with my mom.  I was going to take her to see a play.  She loves stuff like that, and I don’t mind the horrible vacuuming noises in my savings account right now to let her live a little.  She likes making Annie at the diner jealous,” he laughed.  Judy smirked at that, having met Annie and knowing very well how pleased she had been to find out what Nick had become.  That her partner was giving his mother so much attention was likely a joyful subject for the dark-furred vixen to hear about.

 

Judy answered in a chipper tone.  “Well, fortunately, it’s this weekend.  I already talked to Bogo, he’s okay with me taking the time off on short notice, and I might have told him that I was concerned about you being kind of overwhelmed with things since you had gone on active duty.  He’s okay with me taking you with me.”  As she said it, Judy felt like maybe this was a little too invasive, but it was too late to change gears.

 

Nick sagged a little and sighed, “Given that he’s already offered me the company shrink, I can totally believe that he was okay with it.  But, I will bet more that he feels that you, Carrots, are my only filter.  He’s not ready for Wilde in the raw yet!” he laughed, wringing his paws like he had plans for the Cape buffalo.  Judy felt a little more relaxed and laughed at that.  It seemed like Nick was going to accompany her home after all. 

 

This made her feel better because the life that she had in Zootopia was now her _real_ life, and the one waiting for her at home had begun to feel a little more alien, a little more unfamiliar.  At home, she was not in full control of who she was.  She felt there were expectations about who she should be around, and how everyone saw her.  She had plenty of history there, but her history had not always been a pleasant one. 

 

Nick would help as a buffer to remind her who she was now.  Who she had been was just a preparation for what she brought home with her. She was a cop now.  She was successful.  Judy Hopps was appreciated in the city of Zootopia, not just one of many bunnies trying to make their place in the world.  No more was she that bunny who mammals shook their heads at as she jogged along the road in training for her eccentric dream.  The fox by her side would remind her that she got what she came for.  Laugh as mammals may, she was Officer Judy Hopps and they were exactly the way _they_ were when she left this town over a year ago.

 

Judy spoke in a relaxed and informative tone.  “You will need clothes for at least three days, though we do have a washer and dryer.  It’s as far to there as it is to New Reynard, so we will take an early train out.  While I do have a few things I want to do in Bunnyburrow, there is really not a ton to do there, so I stress that this is a ‘do nothing’ holiday.  We are heading out there to _relax_ , so be prepared to stare at green hills and embrace the laziest feeling you can dig from within yourself,” Judy boasted.  Nick inhaled deeply, leaning back.

 

“Are you _demanding_ I be lazy?  Is that a thing that can be asked for seriously?  I have worked very hard these last 18 months.  I think I can say without a doubt, I’ve worked harder than ever in my life,” Nick admitted.  “I won’t shy away from the thought of being in a place where the general expectation is that I do _nothing_.  Is there anything I should be aware of?  Your parents met me briefly at the benefit concert back right after I started at the ZPD, but I don’t think they even registered I was your partner, they were so alarmed at the crowds and the lights and the noise of the big city,” the fox laughed. 

 

“Honestly, I don’t know how they feel about you, but they are okay with foxes in general now, I mean, they work with Gideon,” she explained.

 

“That’s the fox that mentioned Nighthowlers and ruined my life, right?” Nick teased.  Judy slugged him in the arm playfully for it.

 

“Yeah, the same.  You’ll be meeting him I bet.  You are not allowed to leave without sampling some of his confections.  He specializes in berries… the very same that you love from my family’s farm,” she chimed with a grin.  Nick sighed softly, rubbing his upper arm where Judy ‘tapped’ him.

 

“Alright, Carrots, you win.  I will go home with you, but for the record… I _am_ nervous.  You will protect me from all the scary bunnies, right?” he pled.  Judy kicked in his general direction as he laughed and retreated.  The fox went to wash up from lunch and the bunny leaned back in her stool.  That went better than expected.  In a few days’ time she would get to take a vacation and she could reward the hard working fox with some rest and relaxation. 

 

 

 

*************

 

 

The bunny sat in the middle of her bed, legs crossed, pillow over her lap in that cuddly position she found herself in the habit of doing every time she decided to do muzzle time with her parents.  The phone rang a few times, and it was her mom that picked up.  The broader, softer curves of the older lady lapine filled the screen as she lifted up the phone.  She was holding, in her opposite arm, one of Judy’s many nephews.  She shamefully did not think she could actually name which one.  She had been out of the loop a lot with everything going on, but she bet she would be better with it after the weekend.  She beamed at her mother and greeted her sunnily.

 

“Hi mom!  Paws full for another evening of kit duty huh?  Who’s out bouncing around unburdened tonight?” she asked.  Her mother gave a reproachful click of her tongue.

 

“It’s a joy to care for my grand-kits from time to time!  I miss having you guys around when you were this tiny.  So much easier to handle like this and not alll pushing boys out of windows and needing to borrow cash for bills!”  She laughed.

 

“Neither thing have I ever done!” Judy reminded.  Her mother grinned. 

 

“I’m glad to hear from my most independent and responsible daughter however.  How’s the beat, bunny cop?” she smiled.  Judy perked her ears and beamed with pride.  After the Nighthowler case, her father had been a bit less happy about her being a cop, but her mother had been proud.  Bonnie Hopps was little more understanding with it, so she felt she had someone in her corner at least.  Her dad was just scared, and Judy understood.

 

The younger bunny answered, “It goes well.  We had a rather entertaining chase today, one of our regulars!” Judy laughed.  Her mom appeared predictably concerned.

 

“It went safe and sound I hope?” she half-whispered nervously.

 

“Nick got blown up,” Judy answered bluntly.  Her mom took on a horrified expression.

 

“Oh my goodness, Judy how can you _say_ it like that?!  Is he okay?” she begged with distress.  The younger doe was secretly delighted in how much her mom seemed to care about the fate of her partner.  It was in part why she called.  She wanted to feel out their general mood about her working alongside a fox, since she had never just come right out and asked about it.

 

“No, I mean, blown, like… he got caught up in one of the hippo air driers coming out of the canal.  He was blown by fans like… twenty feet up, or higher, and got to hover there.  It was hilarious,” she remarked.  Her mother did not laugh, seeming a little put off about the humor.  Judy shook her head.  “It’s okay mom, we are always as safe as we can be, and they don’t send us on anything they feel we can’t handle.  And that gives us a lot of leeway since we can handle way more than the dispatcher thinks we can.  It’s _fine_ mom,” she assured the worried-looking motherly lapine. 

 

Bonnie sighed.  “Judy, we all miss you here and you say it’s not that dangerous… but we hear things, you know?  Things about how dangerous that job can be.  We even hear about what you have _already_ done for the city there.  Judy, when are you coming home to visit?  It would make everyone feel better to see you,” her mother stated.  Judy grinned.

 

“I’ll be there Friday, as a matter of fact,” she chirped.  Her mother nearly dropped the phone, making her daughter grin wickedly.

 

“Wh-what?  Judy did you say Friday?  Like, this Friday?!” she asked incredulously.

 

“Yep!” Judy chimed brightly.  Her mother was so flustered that she had to put the kit down in his playpen which had been temporarily erected in the dining room.

 

“Oh!  Oh that’s wonderful dear!  I will let everyone know!  I… Oh my goodness, we haven’t seen you since the concert, it’s been so long!  It’s been nearly … what... six months?  Eight?  We’ve all missed you so much!” she expressed a bit louder with in exasperation.

 

“It’s gonna be great to be home.  I will be there until Monday afternoon.”  She began to feel anxious about the next part of this as her mother cheered for the good news.  It was not just a day trip.  This was happy news to her family.  They really did miss her.

 

Bonnie sunnily stated, “Your old room’s still put together like you left it, I will just vacuum and dust a bit and burn a nice candle.  It’ll be ready for you just fine!” she laughed.  Her mother was in a great mood!

 

“Can you get the guest room upstairs ready as well, mom?” she inquired. 

 

“What?  The one with the big bed?  Have you gotten used to sleeping like that in the city?” she grinned.  Judy smiled meekly.

 

“Not for me!  I’ll sleep in my own bed.  It’s for Nick.  I’m gonna bring him with me,” she said as bluntly as she could.  Nothing special about that, it was just her partner.  He was visiting Bunnyburrow.  That would be just fine.  Expected even!

 

“Nick?  Nick’s coming here?” she blurted incredulously.

 

“Sure!  It’s a holiday for us both.  We have been working really hard and, unlike me, he didn’t get a month long break after getting out of the academy.  He went right to work!  He doesn’t complain, but I can tell he needs it,” the younger bunny murmured.  Her mom looked uneasy.  Judy felt a bit more anxious.  Was it really a problem?

 

“Well, okay dear, but I need to warn you…”  Bonnie, her mother, glanced side to side a bit.  Judy’s ears flattened.

 

“What’s wrong?” Judy inquired apprehensively.

 

“Pop-Pop will be here for dinner on Saturday.  Your father already made plans with him.  I… I think you understand where that creates… something of a dilemma…”  Judy’s heart sank.  She loved her grandfather dearly, but never in the history of long ears was there a rabbit who disliked foxes more than her mother’s father.  Judy rubbed her face.  She would figure it out later.  She would have Nick out that evening or… or something.  Having them together, with Pop-Pop’s hatred of foxes and Nick’s playful and teasing nature would be a disaster.  She put on a smile for her mother.

 

“It’s alright, mom, we will figure something out.  That aside it’s gonna be a great visit and I am hoping to get to catch up with all of you as much as possible.  Hey… Do me a big favor… If the hammock that we keep in the little orchard is down, can you have dad put it up?  Nick’s actually never been in a hammock and it’s gonna be serious hammock weather.  I bragged about it and I want him to know what it’s like.”  Bonnie nodded at that.

 

“I will tell him dear.  Don’t worry about Pop-Pop, I’m sure there is something for Nick to do while he’s here that can keep him occupied until nine or so when your father takes him back.”  Judy smiled at her mom and nodded.  It would be okay.  What was the worst that could even happen?

 


	2. Train

 

“I’m gonna throw up,” Nick stated morosely.

 

“No you are not,” Judy scolded him, “Just stop looking out the window.”

 

“I’m gonna do it.  I should never have eaten at this hour.  It’s not even a real hour.  I can’t believe you…  Nnnnnhnn...”  He leaned forward, putting his head in his paws, the light of the inside of the train far exceeding the nearly pitch black outside the train as the cars shook gently on their way out of the station.  Judy rummaged around in her pack.  She took out a plastic sandwich bag filled with chopped celery and emptied it into another snack pouch filled with diced pineapples.  She didn’t care if those mixed, it might be nice.  She offered the little bag to her partner.

 

“Here, just in case,” the bunny stated in a gentle tone.  The fox huffed.

 

“Insufficient volume, I promise.  Oh boy…”  He leaned his head against the window and sighed.  “Oh that’s better.  The window is cold.  Cold is helping.  Cold is good.  Cold is my frieeeeend.”  He folded his ears back, puffing out a slow breath.  Judy did not know her partner could get motion sickness, but she felt maybe it was more that he was nervous.  She had not even told him the bad news yet about her grandfather being there on Saturday.  That could wait.  She reached into her bag and pulled out the pineapple and celery bag again.  The bunny leaned forward in her seat, which was facing the fox, and pushed the bag to his forehead.  He sighed pleasantly and moved his paw to it as the train car rocked a little as they went around a slow curve.

 

“I’m sorry the ticket was so early, but the next train going out wasn’t until noon, and I did _not_ want to miss half the day.”  Judy leaned back again as Nick took over the cold-pack duty.  He seemed to look less ‘disaster-imminent’ as he held it there.  The bunny continued to talk.  “So, my parents are gonna meet us at the station when we get there.  They brought the station wagon so it’s going be a little compact for you, but in the back seat you should be comfy enough.  I live about forty-five minutes from the station, so if you are still super tired I am okay with you just dozing on the trip to the house if you are still feeling a little off.”  She wanted to ease his stress by implying that it would not be a tense meeting.  Her dad had not called her to talk about the visit at all since she told her mom, but she assumed he was okay with it.  Why wouldn’t he be?  Nick was her life-line at work and they worked with Gideon so the animosity for foxes had to be almost gone entirely. 

 

Reflecting on that a moment, the bunny continued, “When we get to the house we will get you upstairs.  The guest room has a bed plenty big enough for you, so you can lie down and recover a bit until you feel like yourself.  There are no plans for day one, Slick.  We can see the farm, watch some TV…”  Judy watched Nick a moment, not talking anymore as his head listed slightly side to side at the gentle rocking of the train car.  The bunny hopped up and moved over beside him, pushing closer in such a way that he could not fall back the other way.  This pinned him up against the window as much as her small bunny form would allow. 

 

He had fallen asleep.  Given how miserable he had been while awake a moment before, she felt that was likely for the best.  She checked her news feed on her phone a moment and then peered back up at her partner.  Judy could not help herself.  Leaning up a bit more, she pushed her head up to almost his jawline, and then she held her phone out and took a picture of them both, the bunny with a huge grin and Nick clearly unconscious with his head resting on a dark window with a plastic baggie full of fruit on top of his head.  “Fox and bunny vacation photo number one!” she chimed sunnily. 

 

Judy always had plenty of energy in the mornings and they seemed to be the worst time for Nick.  However, even by Judy’s standards, this was early.  It could not be helped, however.  She let Nick sleep for a while as the train stopped at the last stop before leaving Zootopia proper.  A few other folks got on, including another couple of bunnies.  Given where they were going, this was not at all surprising. 

 

There was a mother and her young son, perhaps seven or eight.  Bunnies in Zootopia proper tended to have smaller families just because there was nowhere to put a large family in the more cramped spaces in the city, so it was usually just a few kids.  In this case it appeared just the one.  The pair sat in the seat Judy had been in, leaving her having to stay beside Nick.  She didn’t mind, of course.  The bunny mom looked to be Judy’s age, and she peered at the doe for a while, then glanced away, fidgeted with her son a bit, which shamelessly stared, as little kits do.  The mother glanced back up at Judy and then immediately out the window and away, then back again.  She inhaled deeply before finally speaking up.

 

“I don’t want to seem rude but … I was just thinkin’ I should mention…”  Judy smiled, expecting that perhaps she had been recognized.  It happened from time to time, though less and less often the further she got from the actual media circus of the Bellwether fiasco.

 

“Yes?” Judy asked.  The bunny leaned in closer, whispering,

 

“I think there’s a fox hiding in your lunch.”  Judy snorted and had to stifle her laugh so as not to wake up Nick.  Fortunately the little kit was not paying much attention to the whisper and was just transfixed, a little fearfully, on the sleeping predator. The doe keeping Nick propped up regarded the mother rabbit.

 

“He doesn’t do mornings.  He wasn’t feeling great so my food was cold and it made him feel better so…” She nodded to the dozing fox.  The other lapine smiled at that.  She then took a sharp but quiet breath.

 

“Oh wait, you two are that rabbit and fox on the police force, aren’t you?  Gosh, they just released the details about how Bellwether was captured, I saw it on the news night before last,” she remarked.  “I don’t know anyone who knew what your _partner’s_ involvement had been, I was really surprised.  Early on it sounded like a one-bunny show,” she expressed.

 

“Nick didn’t want any kind of attention, even positive, interfering with his already challenging instruction in the academy, so they kept it under confidence with the DA until all the trials were over.  I thought they had already released the details back last month, but I guess not everything.  He’s not had a break since he joined so I’m taking him out to the country for the week.  He’s a city fox so I am betting the fresh air will do him some good.” Judy nodded.  She then felt a pang of guilt, as if she were bragging about what she was doing for Nick.  It was for him, not for her.

 

“You two both deserve it.  You’ve made the news a couple of times even since all that happened.  That thing with the bear, great hot peppers that was intense!” she raised her voice a little at that and Nick shifted.  She cupped her muzzle, not wanting to wake him, but the little kit at her side bunched up closer to her, mistaking it for fear of the fox.  She stroked the little boy’s ears and tilted his chin up.  “It’s okay, Riley, that’s officer Nick, he’s with the police.  He’s a good fox.”  Judy flattened her ears.  The connotation the mother had made was that other foxes were not good foxes, but she decided against correcting the kits mom in front of him.  That there are good foxes was at least a start.  “Hi, by the way.  I’m Tanya, this is Riley of course.  We’re going down to Bunnyburrow today, Officer Hopps, for an away game of Munch.” 

 

The bunny officer smiled.  “I’m Judy, of course.”  She shook the bunny’s paw.

 

“I’m Nick.”  The vulpine appeared to have actually awakened.  Riley bunched up a little tighter against his mom.  Nick either didn’t notice or didn’t obviously care.  “What’s Munch?  I’ve not heard of that.”  Judy turned with a smile to explain to Nick, but then her face fell.  Wait, no, this was a bad idea.  He noticed Judy’s expression and deferred to Tanya instead.  She did not seem to notice the smaller officer’s misgivings.

 

“Oh, it’s an old, old game, been around forever but mostly out in the country.  It’s like a really organized and competitive game of tag… Or capture the flag without jails or flags,” she laughed.  “See, you divide into teams, anywhere from two to six teams of 13.  There’s a dozen bunnies and one f-fuh…“  She then halted her explanation, and stared with obvious worry in her wide eyes at Nick, who simply gestured.

 

“One what?  A flag bearer?  Wait, you said no flags.”  Tanya stared out the window.  “What?” he prodded.  He looked at his partner who was also unable to meet his gaze. 

 

Judy finally spoke up.  “It’s a really, really old game Nick, and it’s still very competitively played in the burrows.  It’s good for the kits, it’s great exercise and gets them out in the sun, and it’s a social thing for the families.”  Nick put his paw on his chin.

 

“Fox.  One fox,” he finished.  Judy cringed.  They were not even in Bunnyburrow yet.  Nick watched Judy with his smug ‘standard’ expression fully in place to hide whatever was going on inside, just like she expected to see.  Both grown up bunnies were speechless.  Nick inhaled deeply and looked to Riley, ears up.  “Hey buddy!” the vulpine spoke in his kids tone, so soft and warm and friendly.  The smallest bunny perked up instead of shrinking back.

 

“Hi,” he offered nervously.

 

“Say… Your mom and my partner just went on break, so maybe you can tell me about Munch.  Are you good at it?  You are heading all the way out to Bunnyburrow to play, so I bet you are crazy-fast!” he stated warmly.  Judy’s heart froze.  He was going to have Riley tell him about it and the little bunny would not even know how offensive it was.  Judy watched helplessly as the train wreck occurred while they rode the tragically non-wrecking train beyond the city limits of Zootopia and right out of her comfort zone.

 

“Boy am I!” the suddenly enthusiastic bunny chimed.  Nick had a knack and Judy pinched the bridge of her nose, head down.  There would be no stopping this.  “Okay, so the fox wears a red tail tied to their belt, right?  That’s how you know who’s the fox.”  Tanya gave a nervous laugh and went to interrupt but Nick held up a paw.  He wanted to know how to play, it appeared.  “Whoever’s on the bunny team, they gotta scatter, and the fox chases whoever is closest, and someone behind the fox has to try to run up and grab his tail.  That’s how your team gets a point, but you can’t get touched by the fox or he hells ‘Munch!’ and you are out of the match.”  Judy cringed, giving a soft groan.  Tanya appeared mortified.

 

“So the fox yells Munch ‘cause he ate the bunny,” he deadpanned.  Riley seemed oblivious to how awful that sounded to an actual fox.

 

“Yep!” he nodded.

 

“How come everyone’s grabbing his tail?” Nick inquired with soft curiosity.  Judy hadn’t even known how offensive _that_ was until she met Nick, so she was pretty sure that Tanya had no idea.  In terms of general decorum, grabbing a fox’s tail was completely out of the question!

 

“That’s called hasslin’,” Riley stated, seeming absolutely unafraid of Nick at that point.  “It’s to make it so the fox can’t focus on grabbin’ bunnies.  He’s gotta watch out or someone’s gonna get his tail, and that’s super important to him!”  The kit smiled proudly.  He knew the game really well.

 

“Are you always the bunny, or are you sometimes the fox?” Nick asked.  Judy watched him carefully, trying hard to read him.  He souned genuinely curious, and he was smiling at Riley, which kept the kit talking. 

 

“Every team practices both sides, because the judges choose randomly out of a hat who gets to be the fox.  If you’re an awesome fox and a not so good bunny it’s gonna be a short match, and if you can’t be a good fox, the other team racks up all the points.”  Nick rubbed his chin thoughtfully as Judy’s heart hammered in her chest.  This sucked so badly.

 

“So, are you a better fox… or a better Bunny, you think?  Which do you like playing the most?” he casually surveyed the smaller mammal.

 

“I like being the bunny.  It’s real fun being chased and trying to get the tail!” he laughed.

 

“Why do you think they went with foxes instead of wolves or coyotes?” asked the vulpine.  Judy sighed.

 

“I dunno.  Foxes are cooler, I guess?” he offered.  Nick genuinely perked up at that.

 

“Why do you say that?” he responded.

 

“I dunno.  They’re in more stories and stuff.”  He shrugged.

 

“You know that foxes do not actually… munch bunnies, right?” Nick offered with a gentle smile, obviously going out of his way not to show his teeth.

 

“Sure, yeah!” he laughed, “That’s from like… way back in the middle ages, like… when my mom was little.”  Tanya groaned at that.  Judy had to stifle a laugh herself.

 

“What do foxes eat now, you think?” the doe’s partner asked innocuously.  He was going to be so cross with her when he got her alone, she just knew it.  How could she have completely forgotten this stupid game?  She played the hell out of it when she was a kit.  She was damn near uncatchable and no one playing the fox would _dare_ turn their back on her.

 

“They eat cookies,” Riley stated matter-of-factly.

 

“Oh?  Well, that’s true, I do like cookies,” Nick informed with a smirk. “Why do you think we like those, specifically?” he softly pried.

 

“Cause if I’m bein’ difficult my mom says she’s givin’ my cookies to the foxes.”  Nick widened his eyes at that. 

 

Tanya stood up, loudly saying, “Oh my goodness, look at the poop, Riley, you have to time!” she snatched up the kit.

 

“Woah, hay, I was talkin’ to Nick, where are we-…” Tanya smiled with a panicked expression to Judy.

 

“Nice meeting you both.  EnjoyyourstayinBunnyburrowofficers!” she bolted to the next car up.  Nick leaned back again and sighed.

 

“Cute kit.”  He then widened his eyes.  “Wait, can I call kits cute?  Is that still bad?” he stumbled.  Judy sat on her seat with her paws both over her muzzle.  The bunny lowered her head.

 

“Oh my God, Nick, that was so terrible.  I am _so_ sorry, I hadn’t even thought about that game in years.  I… Knowing things I do now, I can’t believe I didn’t see anything _wrong_ with it,” she whimpered.  Nick looked down at her, ears pinned back.

 

“What, Munch?  Yeah, it seems a little backwards, since it’s not like you have to practice fox-hassling and running or you get _eaten_ , but it’s still good exercise, team play and obviously Riley finds it fun.  And it doesn’t make him _hate_ foxes.  I _don’t_ like that his mom brings foxes into his discipline regimen but I think she realized right then what was ultimately wrong with _that_.”  Judy’s heart was still pounding hard in her chest.  She felt almost nauseated.

 

“I wanted you to get a feel for how _nice_ my home town was, not a face full of fox-bashing before we were even out of Zootopia.  I want you to feel happy about coming,” she groaned.

 

“It’s awful early in the trip to write it off as a disaster, Fluff,” Nick laughed.  “…Look, foxes are not real popular with a _lot_ of different mammals because long, long ago we were damned good at… well… being foxes.  It’s why there are still foxes!  I am glad that society is different now, but I’m not about to pretend it never happened, and neither should Riley.  It was real, and the natural abilities your ancestors honed so long ago are exactly the things that make you a formidable police officer, Carrots,” he complimented.  Within a month of his mother chastising him about calling her Carrots, Nick had helplessly succumbed to his habit all over again.  He just never said it near his mom.

 

“It’s still not right to keep on with our kits like foxes are villains, Nick.  I… I don’t know what to say.  Sorry you had to even know about it.”

 

“Thumper,” Nick blurted flatly.

 

“What?” asked Judy.

 

“Thumper.  It’s one of the worst things a kit can call another kit where I grew up.”  Judy laid back her ears.

 

“I don’t get it,” she responded.

 

“Long ago, when a fox was spotted, any rabbit that spotted him would do that thing you do with your foot when you get really agitated,” Nick explained casually, “It let other bunnies know the danger, and everyone scattered.  In Happytown, where I spent part of my youth, the kids all called whiners and tattletales ‘thumpers’, and if you were a thumper, you played alone.  It was pretty ugly,” the fox stated.  “Prey does not corner the market on crappy, hurtful behavior.  Like you said in your speech… We are not perfect, we have lots of room to grow, and we’re still growing.  I don’t want Riley to be ashamed of Munch.  It’s a fun game and he has fun with his friends.”

 

“Nick, I know you aren’t naïve enough to think a lot of bunnies don’t still think foxes are the bad guys because of stuff like that,” Judy grumbled.  She wasn’t going to let him sweep this under the rug for her sake.

 

The fox rubbed his chin, appearing to think about his side of this discussion a moment before speaking again.  “So, yeah, I _want_ his mother to teach him that foxes are not bad, but just because foxes are the _opposite_ team in Munch doesn’t mean he’ll have to assume foxes are evil.  You heard him, he thinks foxes are cool.  Regardless of what role they play, they’re a way larger part of lapine culture than any other species.”  Judy stared in stunned silence at the level of her partner’s understanding.  She was trying to figure out if he was just trying to convince himself to pardon the largely innocent kit, or if he could really be that forgiving.  The doe herself didn’t think that _she_ was.  It was still really offensive.

 

“So… The predator running around the field yelling munch and gobbling up bunnies is okay to you?  Honestly?  You don’t see any way that could go, I don’t know, bad for the foxes?”

 

Nick replied in a slow and measured fashion.  “Little kits play cops and robbers too.  It doesn’t mean the kids playing the robbers end up hating the police.  If you play basketball and the other team wears yellow jerseys, you don’t automatically hate all things yellow.  You and I have seen real hate for foxes, and real offensive attitudes about bunnies, and awful things said about cops.  Do you honestly think it comes from laughing and running and playing and rolling around with friends?  It comes from fear, Carrots.  Riley is not _afraid_ of me because of a game.  It’s fine.”  Nick leaned back.  “Wait, do grownup bunnies play it?” he asked.  Judy furrowed her brow.

 

“Do… what?  I…”  She looked down.  “Yeah, it’s a thing,” she admitted.  “Not like… professional league play or anything, but companies do that for picnics and the like.”  She sighed.  That, she figured, would not be quite so acceptable.

 

“Did you play it?” Nick pressed.

 

“Yeah,” Judy answered sullenly.

 

“Did you hate foxes because of it?” he lightly interrogated.

 

“What?  No, of course not!” she barked back, and then closed her eyes.  He was right.  The game had nothing to do with how she felt about foxes.  And Saturday, Nick would meet the real reason she did not initially trust him.  She still hadn’t told him.  Maybe she would just have him out for the evening instead.

 

“Do you think we could make teams at your place and play?” her partner offered.  Judy’s eyes nearly popped out.

 

“What?  Are you _serious_?” she begged with a stressed expression, as if he’d just asked her to go with him to that nudist retreat again.

 

“Yeah!  Why not?  It sounds pretty simple and I bet we’d totally own most of your family in it.  This is about having fun and relaxing, right?”  Judy gaped at Nick, her muzzle wide.  He was being serious!  She rubbed her temples.  She bet her brothers and sisters would definitely play a game of Munch if it were nice out, but how could she even think of that?  She would just hope that Nick forgot about it with all the busy activity of meeting the family.

 

“Are you still feeling ill?” she questioned, reaching and taking her fruit and veggies off the foxes head.  She would change the subject.

 

“Thankfully no, that passed with a bit of snoozing, thank you.”  He sat back, gazing at the bunny beside him.  “Are you still feeling cold?” he teased, having awakened to her pushed up against him.  She was still practically hip to hip with the larger mammal.  The doe leapt to the other seat where Riley and his mom had been.

 

“Oh!  I didn’t want you falling over when you were napping as we went around a bend,” she offered insistently.  Nick smiled smugly.  She sighed.  “I’m glad you’re feeling better though.”  There was a bit of silence between them as Judy gazed out the window.  They had crossed the bay bridge and were pushing rapidly into open farmland and all Judy could see for miles and miles was corn.  She felt herself lulled toward sleep by the whisking stalks closest to the train. 

 

She was shaken from her stupor by Nick as he leaned his head against his window as well and murmured:  “I spy with my little eye, something beginning with C.”  Judy sighed.  The two hour trip felt like it just got way longer.

 

 

 

*************

 

 

“If the train broke down out here, what would happen to us?  Would anyone even look for us?” the fox asked.  Judy laughed.  They were out in genuine wilderness, open rolling fields of nothing at all surrounded by occasional stands of trees.  It had been that way for miles.

 

“Nope, they’d just send vouchers to our families!” the bunny laughed.

 

“We’d have to just start our own town.” Nick nodded.  “Foxburrow we would call it.  Population you and me,” he responded with a smirk.

 

“ _That_ town sure wouldn’t grow very fast,” Judy teased back.  Their conversations had gotten more mindless and silly the longer the train ride went, but the doe perked up a bit as she pointed at a sign they were approaching.  It was Bunnyburrow, and the population had a spinning ticker that was just insane.  Nick looked in horror at his partner.

 

“That’s three times the population of Zootopia, what the hell, Fluff?!” he exclaimed.  Judy laughed, nodding at the sign.

 

“It’s a gag, Nick.  Look, the numbers above ten thousand are not set up to even move.”  He squinted at it.

 

“Huh… Why did they do that?  Doesn’t that perpetuate some kind of a stereotype?” he asked. 

 

“Kinda, but it’s not one we really care about.  The stereotype is not entirely untrue.  We are very efficient at building families,” she laughed.  “…maybe not _that_ efficient… but efficient.” She indicated the sign as they whisked past it, and he train began to slow down.  “That’s kind of our little tourist trap.  Visitors take their picture by it, all that.  We have a few places around town you will want to visit, but there’s no hurry today.”  She stood up as the train crawled to a stop, stretching a bit.  She hated sitting still, though Nick appeared to have no similar trouble.  Finally, the two of them exited the train with about six other bunnies.  The crowd was light that early in the morning, and the remaining few passengers would be getting off in Deerbrook County. 

 

“Uhhh…  You told your folks what time we were arriving, right?” the fox inquired.  He was looking out and obviously saw that, while there were a few cars, and mammals were getting into them, Bonnie and Stu were absent.

 

“That’s…  That’s weird.  I would have thought for sure that we’d have found them waiting right there for us.”  She pointed right at the platform the train had arrived.  She took out her phone and attempted to call her mother first, then her father.  She then called another family member, her sister, who could only verify that they left an hour ago to pick them up.

 

“Everything alright, Carrots?” Nick checked. He then furtively glanced around, but found they were nearly alone on the platform by that point.

 

“I don’t know Nick.  Something’s up.  My parents left when they should have, but they aren’t here,” she stated. 

 

Nick leaned in, speaking softly with concern. “Is there another way to your place?” he murmured.

 

“The mammal I know who lives closest to the train depot, but I am not sure he’ll be able to help if he’s busy,” the bunny stated.  She also wasn’t sure about actually asking him for help, as she had only very _slightly_ renewed any kind of communication with him at all.  Still, she dialed, as she did not want Nick to have to hike the journey all the way to her farm.  That would take hours and defeat the purpose of waking him so early.  The phone rang three times, and she was about to hang up and try for one of her other sisters, when finally a voice came up.

 

“Gideon Grey’s Real Good Baked Stuff, what’s your treat today?”  It was obviously a practiced greeting, but it was light and professional.  Judy recognized the vulpine’s voice right away.

 

“Gideon!  Hi!  It’s Judy!” she chimed brightly.

 

“Oh, hi Judy!  I’m surprised to hear your voice, what kin I do fer ya?” his country twang engulfed his speech.  It was comforting in a way.

 

“Hey, so, odd little hiccup… my parent were supposed to be at the train depot to pick me up, but they aren’t here and they aren’t answering, and I am… I’m a little concerned.  Do you know if something’s up?” she asked.  Gideon worked with her parents, and was on the way to the depot, so she felt he might have a better chance of knowing.  There was a pause on the line, and then a negative answer.  Judy rubbed her chin a bit and murmured, “I don’t know if you’re elbow deep in your work right now, but could I trouble you for a lift to see if we run into them on the way back?  Maybe the truck gave up finally.”  She sounded hopeful.  Nick’s expression showed he was a little surprised that Judy would ask for help.

 

“Shore, Judy, I kin do that.  I ain’t behind on orders right yet.  They usually start coming in right before lunch.  I kin leave Travis to run the phones.  He’s helpin’ out while his gran’s in hospice.”  The fox on the other end paused a moment, then added, “Don’t know that you know all that, but’s he’s been a help, yeah.  Yew at the train station, right?  I’ll be there in five.  It’s close enough.”  Judy chirped back a happy thank you and hung up, but then frantically tried to talk even though she was the one who ended the call.  She’d forgotten to mention she was not alone.  The bunny sighed.  It probably did not matter too much.  She sat down on a bench.

 

“Something serious?” Nick pressed with open concern.  Judy waved to her partner.  She did not want to start freaking out, but she could not think of a time when her parents had ever failed to be where they said they were going to be.  She worried that there had been an accident.

 

“I am sure it’s just car trouble.  They were supposed to bring the wagon, but if they took the truck, I’d be surprised if it made it here and back without something going off on it.”  She rubbed her face.

 

“Gideon’s coming to pick us up… the fox?” Nick inquired.

 

“Yeah, he’s a family friend.” Judy remarked.

 

“I remember.  What’s he driving, I will keep an eye out for it while you keep trying to figure out what’s going on,” her partner offered as she hammered in her oldest brother’s number.

 

“A pink truck.  It’ll be a company vehicle,” she stated frankly.

 

“Wow, pink?  He’s really trying to downplay the scary predator thing, huh?” Nick laughed.  Judy gave a weak smile as she put her phone to her ear.  Nick didn’t know anything about Gid’s past, and she didn’t want to really bring it up.  It was not fair to Gideon for her to do that.  She had forgiven him, and they were moving on.  Her brother came on the line, but he did not know anything either. He also was not aware that Judy was already in town and offered to pick her up, but she informed him that they had it taken care of. 

 

“Oh, that has _got_ to be it!” Nick laughed.  Judy stood up on her toes, her partner taller and with better range of view than her.  She nodded to him. 

 

“Yep!  Thanks Charlie, hope to see you soon.  Bring Mindy, I wanna yank her ears for the rude singing card later,” she laughed.  She hung up the phone and waved to the approaching vehicle, moving to it.

 

“Hey there Judy.  This fella with you, or just lookin’ after you?” he asked.  Nick smiled to him.

 

“Nick Wilde.  I’m Judy’s partner.”  He offered a paw.

 

“ _Partner_?  Really?” Gideon drawled.  “Wow… Ah mean… Really?” he sounded utterly shocked.  Judy had said absolutely nothing to Gideon about Nick in the little they had spoken, but she thought surely her parents would have.  Maybe they really were all business.

 

“Nick works with me on the force, Gid,” Judy stated, pulling herself into the passenger seat.  She looked around, finding there was no back seat, but there was room to stand in the back.  Nick understood he was going to have to do and climbed in as well.  Gideon laughed.

 

“Oh!  Police partner!  Ahah!  Yeah, that makes more sense, yeah!” he folded his ears back and grinned.  “So this is the poor fella what’s gotta survive the trouble yew always gettin’ into in the big city, eh?” the slightly padded fox laughed.  Nick grinned as he got Judy’s bag and his own pushed into the back of the truck.

 

“Oh hey, he knows you pretty well!” the more wiry fox chuckled.  Judy rolled her eyes.  She hadn’t spent any time with Gideon since she made contact with him again, but she was mortified at the thought of his and Nick’s sense of humor together.  Fortunately, her partner became immediately distracted.

 

“What is that _smell_?” he inquired, paws clutching the back of the passenger seat as the truck rolled away, making a turn and heading back the way it came.

 

“What?  Them’s blueberry breakfast tarts, my mom’s old recipe.  Yew kin have one or two of ‘em if ye want!  The meetin’ they was for ended up gettin’ cancelled and they didn’t even have me come out.  Fear they’ll be a bit cold, though.”  Nick gasped softly, opening the box.

 

“Cold is fine.  Oh, good gracious…”  He held one of the mini pies under his nose.  “You… you make these?” the fox in the back verbally pondered.  Judy had hoped that Nick would get a chance to try some farm food, but had not assumed it would be like this.

 

“Sure did!  Been in business three years now.  Those Blueberries come from Judy’s farm!” their vulpine driver stated sunnily.  Nick crammed it whole into his mouth and gave a whine Judy could not say she’d ever heard him make.  He nearly fell over as the van lurched a little over a hump in the road.  Nick scrambled back up to help himself to another tart, and another, but stopping after. 

 

“Want one, Judy?  These are amazing!” her happy partner chimed, “Oh, hey, before we head back, do you think I could buy a pie for my mom?  I bet it’ll keep well enough to take it to New Reynard if I just switch trains right when we get back.” 

 

“Really?  Yew want one?  Heck, half price if it means hookin’ some folks in new places!” Gideon laughed.  Then his features went a bit more serious.  “Hey Judy, that’s your wagon, right, the green one?” he asked.  Judy leaned forward, seeing it pulled off to the side of the road. 

 

“Yeah, that’s it!” Judy cried.  She felt a little better that it at least did not look wrecked, but what would have made them stop and not even call her?

 

“Uh, there’s trouble,” Nick stated.  Judy leaned out the window a little to get a better look.  Up at the top of the hill that the car was parked by there was an old manor house, and it was very actively on fire.

 

“Crap, Gideon, pull over!” Judy shouted.

 

“You don’t even gotta tell me, Officer Hopps!” Gideon stated.  Judy was not sure why a strong wave of pride rang through her hearing Gideon say it, but there were more important things to deal with. 

 

“Nick, sorry, it looks like we aren’t relaxing just yet!” Judy hopped out.  Nick burst out of the back of the truck, licking granulated sugar off his claws.

 

“Right behind you partner!” he shouted, as even Gideon joined them running up the hill.


	3. Impressions

**Guardian Blue: Season One**

Episode 3:  Impressions

 

 

“Mom!”  Judy ran up the hill toward her mother who was standing outside of a two, possibly even three story manor-house that rested at the top of the hill.  Half the house seemed to be actively in flames.

 

“Judy!  How did you get here?!” Bonnie cried as Nick came up behind her.  Their bags were left in Gideon’s vehicle.  The heavier fox was a bit behind but Judy’s mother saw him and realized he had brought them.  “Oh, Gids!  Thank goodness!”  Judy looked at the large structure.  The back half seemed completely in flames.  The front has several tall narrow windows and there was a castle-like third floor tower with a single window open, curtains fluttering from the air current inside the house, and the second floor had two large windows in the front both blotted out with smoke.  The front door burst open and two bunnies stumbled out.

 

“Dad!” Judy rushed to her father’s side.  He was with another male rabbit who was coughing so hard he vomited in the grass.  Stuart Hopps helped him up a bit so he didn’t just fall into it, looking at his daughter.

 

“There’s kids in there, Jude!  Five of em, still, we can’t get to them, fire’s on the stairs in the front, we can’t get to the back!  Smoke's choked it out, we can’t see a thing it’s too dark!”  The thin older black and grey bunny put his head to the grass and screamed in frustrated sobbing, probably the fire.  Judy’s heart raced, her hands feeling that familiar pins and needles sensation of adrenalin. 

 

“Where’s BBFD?” Judy shouted, referring to the local fire department.

 

“Called, but they are about 40 minutes out, so it’s gonna be at least another ten to fifteen before they get here!” Stu shouted.  No one seemed to care that no introductions had been given.  Two more vehicles pulled up and spectators were starting to gather, some walking up the road from some of the houses further down the road.  Judy looked frantically around.

 

“Rope!  We need rope!”  She looked to her father.  He shook his head, but the slender wailing rabbit jumped up, tears still flowing.

 

“I got it!  I got it, I got fiddy feet in d’ shed!”  He bolted, Stu moving with him.  Judy paced abit, looking up at the front of the house.

 

“This is risky, Judy, we’ve got no backup for another ten at least.” Nick said from behind.

 

“They have less of a chance than we do, that’s a sure bet.” Judy said to her partner.  Nick nodded, understanding.  “Nick, I need your eyes.  We have to try.  I can’t just not try.”  Her partner nodded to that.  Stu and the other rabbit came back panting, very much out of breath, already winded from the smoke inside from their first attempt. Bonnie hugged her husband and Nick looked back to Judy.

 

“Okay partner, what’s the plan, I see the wheels spinning.”  Judy looked to the stunned, somewhat frightened looking Gideon.

 

“Hey, Gids.  Gideon!” Judy shook his attention away from the 30 foot flames at the back of the house.  He looked at the grey-toned little doe.

 

“Wha?  Yeah, Judy?” he asked with his thick accent.

 

“Gideon, how good’s your aim with throwing?” the young female bunny asked.  More folks were showing up, but unfortunately no one with a fire truck. 

 

“Judy I know what you are thinking, we used Grizzoli for this, not another fox.  He’s not that much bigger than I am.” Nick said skeptically.

 

“We got Gideon, that’s what we got.” Judy said bluntly, and then nodded to the gathering rabbits, the dominant population of the burrow area.  “Gid’s stronger than he looks, trust me.”  Nick regarded the larger fox, tick built, a bit heavy set, but his arms were certainly strong-looking.

 

“Ah kin throw jist fine, whatcha need me ta do?” the larger somewhat portly fox asked.  Nick rubbed his face with concern. 

 

“I need you to pick me up and chuck me into that window.”  She pointed to the third floor.

 

“Yew got ta be kiddin’ me!” Gideon stated loudly.  Nick gestured to Judy plaintively.  Judy picked up the end of the rope and tied it around her waist.  “Judy I cain’t do that.”  There was a small cry from inside the house.  Children.  Nick cringed.  They could hear the children.  Gideon looked pained.  “Suddenly I think I kin try.” He stated, nodding. 

 

“No!  You can’t do that!” Stu cried to his daughter.  Bonnie pulled him back. 

 

“She’s a professional dear, she does this all the time, right dear?” Bonnie asked her daughter.  Judy gritted her teeth.  No, she really didn't do that sortr of thing all the time.  But it would not do her mother any good for her to say it, so she nodded.  Gideon moved up behind her.  She looked to Nick and said loudly, as the rabble around the house was growing louder, a good fifteen to twenty frightened bunnies by that time,

 

“I am gonna get up there and secure the line, you have to climb up it.  We are gonna pull the rope up but keep it tied by the window in case we need it to find our way back.  Ready?” she put her fist out.  Nick tapped it to signify he was ready.  They had done a few crazy, dangerous things before but this was a little more extreme than anything she could remember since the Bellwether incident.  The lack of backup made a serious difference in the danger level.

 

“Ah’m ready when yew are!” Gideon barked.  Nick moved closer to the house.

 

“If you miss, I’m gonna break Judy’s fall.” He called to the other fox.

 

“Gotcha, Nick.  Let’s do this!”  Gideon put both hands under Judy’s elbows and gave her a hard lurch with something that looked like a granny shot in bowling.  It was easily 8 feet short, and he cringed as Judy hit the siding with a thump.  The gathered bunnies gasped and a few cried out.  Fortunately, the bunny had plenty of practice with this exercise with larger mammals, so she had her hands and feet out in front of her and sprang off and fell trustingly backwards into Nick’s arms.  Nick grunted with a strained tone as he softened her fall, and she got back up.  Gideon looked mortified that he missed and she fell, but she darted back to him.

 

“Again!  Harder!  Forget that I’m a bunny, Gideon, I’m a pumpkin at the fair!  Get me in that window!”  She had no idea if the fox even did the Pumpkin Chuckin’ event, but she figured it was a safe bet.  Gideon nodded at Judy warily and then moved his hand behind her back, and then the other under her backside.

 

“Beggin’ yore pardon Judy, gotta be this way though.  Yew bein’ a pumpkin’ an all.”  Judy nodded forgivingly to the fox, not caring one bit.  She braced herself.  This throw was gonna be hard.  He gave a full turn of his body and really gave it all he had with a roar of force and maybe a bit of pain.  The throw was still a little short of the mark but Judy compensated by snagging the window ledge with her hands.  She hauled herself up with all the grace of her training with the academy.  The roar from the bunnies below made it sound like she just got the winning goal in a county rivals game.  She pulled herself into the window.  There was not much smoke in this top room but the door was closed to the room so she knew that was about to change.  She moved into the room, finding the power already out from the fire, she secured the rope.  She leaned out and called down.

 

“Nick, we are good!”  The more slender fox did not waste a second.  Nick was no slouch at the academy himself and he went up the line faster than she had seen some of her fellow recruits from her academy days run a horizontal sidewalk.  There was applause from the crowd.  Judy left the line around her waist and pulled the rope rapidly up so that she had slack inside the house, leaving almost none out the window.  When it was time to get out, they would lower it again.  She moved to the door and slapped the knob to make sure it was not scorching with a fire right on the other side.  It appeared cool enough and she opened it.  Thick black smoke billowed outward.  She and Nick hit the floor to keep it out of their eyes.  They were not fire fighters but they both took a supplementary class on fire rescue after the academy.  Nick nodded to Judy.

 

“My eyes are good, but let’s get your ears working so we have an idea what direction we want my eyes looking.” Nick stated.  Judy knew Nick was every bit as terrified as she was, but like her, he was trained and ready to do this.  She perked her ears.  There was no calling for help, but she could hear soft crying.  She focused her ears this way and that, and then nodded to her partner.

 

“Downstairs, Nick.  A room below and to the right.”  Nick nodded to Judy and then moved in front of her, crouched to his tummy.

 

“Hold my tail, don’t let go.  If you start having too much trouble breathing or are getting light headed, yank it a few times so I know.  Try not to talk much.”  He offered the thick plume of his tail.  Judy wrapped both hands around it and had to stifle the delighted sound that almost came out.  Why the hell did Nick give half a rotten pea about Bellwether’s poof?  She moved with him as he slunk down the spiral stairs from that ‘tower’ room to the floor below.  He paused a moment, looking this way and that.  Judy could not see a thing.  They were mashed ot the floor and the smoke was like a solid blanket everywhere.  She had no idea how Nick could see a thing. 

 

“Forward and right, I hear more than one, they are scared, Nick!” Judy called out.  It was already extremely hot in the area they were in and Judy could not even see the fire.  She could hear it though, things breaking, the roar of flames, the cracking of wood.  The house could actually collapse.  They needed to hurry.  Nick moved quickly, Judy unraveling rope behind her and holding her partner’s soft tail.  The fox reared up, opening a door from the sound of it.  There were several loud cries.  There was less smoke in that room, but Judy could still not see anything.

 

“I don’t see anyone.” Nick said, coughing a few times.

 

“At the back, is there a closet?”  They sounded as if they were still behind a door.

 

“No, but there’s a big toy chest.” Nick stated.  He pulled Judy with him and Judy heard screams as the chest was opened.

 

“It’s okay, were police!” Nick said warmly between coughs.  “We’re gonna get you out, but all of you have to hold tight and don’t let go.  You and you, hold back there, that’s Judy!”  Nic had two smaller bunnies, they had to only be three and four, cling to his partner.  Judy held them as best she could with the rope under her arm.  Nick got the other three who were a bit older since they were talking.

 

“We’re all here, there’s no one else but Daddy, we can’t find him!” came a voice of one bunny girl.  She sounded about ten to twelve.

 

“He’s outside, he was trying to get to you but the stairs were done in.” Judy called encouragingly.

 

“How are we getting out then?” came a frightened boy kit’s cry, somewhere in between the other two age groups.  He was clinging to Nick’s left.

 

“Window and rope, same as we got in, don’t worry, everyone’s fine!” called Judy.  Nick coughed a bit harder.  The fox got a lung full when he was opening the door she feared.  He pulled her and the others back toward the door, not wasting any time, just the way she liked it.  Fortunately, Nick had a good sense of direction and as Judy gathered rope slack back up there was no delay getting back to the spiral staircase.  There was a huge crash from somewhere inside the house not far from the group, making it obvious things were not holding tougher well and the heat was getting unbearable.  Judy saw an orange glow behind them as they made it to the small door that lead to the spiral staircase.  She did not have to tell Nick to hurry and did not want to alarm the kits anyway. 

 

There was more light and less smoke in the top room and that was a comforting sight to Judy.  She pushed the coils of rope out the window, and there was a cheer from the more than twenty bunnies below just at seeing her.  Nick coughed heavily and helped his tightly clinging brood to the window.  They seemed stunned to see he was a fox, but knew he wasn’t a bunny because of his size.  They did not let go, all the same.  Judy double coiled the rope around herself and the two smallest and looked to Nick.

 

“How’re you doing?  Still good?  Can you lower me down, and then haul me back up okay?"  His eyes were heavily watering and he was panting but he nodded.  Judy hefted herself to the window sill and rappelled slowly down the siding as nick helped her down at a safe and careful but still urgent pace.  Judy saw deadly tongues of flames licking up the side of the sandy-toned walls of the front of the house on either side of her.  The second floor was being consumed.  They did not have enough time.

 

“Nick!  Fire’s hot below you, can you bring three down on a naked line?!” Judy called up as she got her feet on solid ground again.

 

“My arms aren’t gonna like it, but this hotel ain’t offering late checkout!”  Nick was already climbing out the window with three bunnies clinging to him, two boys that looked to be twins at about age eight, and the oldest girl.  They all held around his neck and Nick grunted as he rappelled down, hand over hand, feet walking down, and then a huge crash inside startled the three so bad that the girl accidentally let go of her vulpine rescuer.  Nick cried out, and Judy saw him close his eyes tight, unable to see what happened, but Judy at least was able to see as Gideon scooped her out of the air before she hit the ground..

 

“Gotcha!”  It was a welcome sound to them both, and her partner slid faster down the rope, surely feeling it bite into his hands a bit.  His muscles had to be screaming, she observed, with the load that together was still about half his own weight dragging him down.  Finally, his feet reached the ground and he got both kits away from the house as more banging and crashing signaled that the arriving fire truck would not have much at all to save.  Nick went to his knees, panting, coughing, and Judy threw her arms around him, giving him a quick squeeze.  The din of cheering rabbit and the sound of an ecstatic father with his five kits laying on the grass were a bit overwhelming but Nick stood back up, looking to Judy with a nod.

 

“Back to work.” He said as curious bunnies started drawing closer.  The firetruck needed to get through.  Both Nick and Judy moved in opposite directions to control the perimeter and get the firefighters into place to do their job while keeping the crowd back and safe.  Paramedics showed up two minutes after to tend to the kids and their father.  A photographer for a local news agency showed up only a minute after that.  He was fortunately kept busy as literally everyone seemed eager to tell him what happened and Gideon was unfortunate enough to get swept into it and have to give his accounting to what might have been a live camera.  Judy wanted no part of that, and as the fire brigade got their yellow tape out to keep the lookers back Judy got Nick over to the second arriving ambulance.

 

“Come on, just let them check, you have to give me that at least, Nick.” Judy complained.  Nick sighed, then gave a sputtering cough again.

 

“Yes mom!”  He smiled and sat down while the emergency worker checked his vitals and offered him an oxygen mask.  Nick took it and oohed. “Why does this smell like chlorof-“ and he went limp in the back of the ambulance, garnering a very concerned look from the three bunnies there, one even desperately checking the tank.

 

“Nick, stop it!”  Judy snapped at him.  He laughed and then coughed some more, getting a nervous laugh from the bunnies as well.  Judy walked away from him, feeling he would show his tail less if she wasn’t there and checked on the father and his kids.  They all seemed okay, and she decided not to interrupt the thin bunny comforting his kids as a few of them got to play with some of the offered safety gear to distract them from their home burning down rapidly about a hundred yards away.  Judy sighed at the sadness of the disaster, but it was nearly so much worse.  She then cupped her muzzle, a chill running through her.  Her parents!  She had acted so quickly and decisively that she hardly considered that they just watched her risk her life right in front of them.  She looked around and found that they were actually both directing the flow of traffic.

 

“Judy!”  She heard Gideon’s voice.  She looked toward him, finding that he was out of breath, having escaped the reporter.  “Ah’m gonna run back to the shop an’ git water and th’ like for th’ fire brigade, help em how I can.” He leaned forward, hands on his knees, pantng.  “Ah cain’t believe we did that.  Oh mah gawd, I’m shakin’ so bad.”  He held a hand up, illustrating as it quivered.

 

“You sure you are okay to drive?” Judy asked.

 

“Ah’ll be fine.  Yew and yore partner okay?” he asked with obvious genuine concern. 

 

“Nick sucked in some ugly in there, but he’ll be okay.” Judy explained.  The larger vulpine nodded and rubbed his shoulder, perhaps having wrenched it a bit throwing his former classmate.  He was going to have one hell of a story to tell when he got back to the shop.  Judy gave a squeak as Gideon hugged her and she smiled at his departing form.  She then looked back to see Nick walking over to her.  He seemed in good spirits.

 

“Well, I won’t be playing the piano any time soon.” Nick grumbled.  Judy gritted her teeth, looking at her partner’s paws.

 

“Oh no!  Why not, did you tear up your hands?” she asked fearfully.  He was not likely to enjoy his holiday if he could not even pick up a drink.

 

“Nope, I just never learned to play the piano.” Nick stated frankly.  Judy punched him in the arm.  The pair then turned and watched as the house crumbled inward.  Nick sighed softly and shook his head.  “A shame… But at least they got what matters out of there.”  He smiled wistfully as some of the hose spray wafted over them.  Judy folded her ears back and looked happily to the fox.  No medal, diploma or commendation ever came close to saving a life, much less five.  She let him take it in as the fire brigade did all they could, and for the moment, in the busy morning din, the officers stood as but a part of the background of a surreal scene outside of an unassuming rural town. 

 

 Judy was jarred from her quiet contemplation and slow beginnings of trying to figure out if she’d have to write an official report or just give a statement by the cry of her father.  She cringed and actually barely braced for impact in time, his meaty arms thrown around her hard, the big buck sobbing hysterically as he embraced her.  Judy looked helplessly at her partner while her dad tried hard to get himself under control.

 

“That was so scary, are you both okay?” Judy’s mother asked.  Nick looked over to her and smiled before giving an encouragement gesture.  He hadn’t even said hi to them.  Judy nodded and forced her dad off of her with some effort.  He wiped his face a bit. 

 

“Mom, dad, it’s been a while, but you remember Nick, my partner?” she indicated the fox.  He gave his standard smug grin.  Bonnie reached out and shook the offered vulpine hand and Stu threw his arms around Nick.  He then leaned back and held the straps to his best overalls.

 

“Nick, yeah, sure, I remember him.”  The paternal rabbit looked more composed a moment.  “We met briefly when we came down for that Gazelle concert.  And I have to say, Nick…” Stu regarded the fox warmly, “Anyone who is willing to follow _my_ daughter without hesitation into a deadly blazing inferno is _completely out of his mind_!” he fairly yelled, coming unglued again, making Nick cringe.  ‘How can you two just be standing there grinning like nothing happened?!”  Bonnie yanked one of Stu’s ears. 

 

“Honey, you know that’s their job, they train for this stuff.” the voice of reason weighed in her tone to her husband.  Judy looked over to her stunned partner.

 

“Dad’s emotional.” she offered with a shrug.  Nick slowly turned his head to look at her.  Judy chuckled a bit.  Nick rubbed the back of his head a bit, and then the smug came back, as he seemed to figure out what to do next.  He spoke with an excited tone,

 

“Hey, Mr. Hopps, we weren’t the only ones to rush into the blaze to save little bunnies!  You were in there with no training already when we got here!  You’re no less a hero even if you couldn’t get to them!”  Judy perked her ears.  Deflecting to her father’s ego might normally have been a great idea, she had to give a point to her partner for that, but she knew her father better.  Stu slapped his hands over his muzzle.

 

“Oh heavenly hailstones, _I almost died_!” he hugged his wife, sobbing.  Nick cringed harder, his attempted deflection to pride blowing up in his face.  Now Stu was publicly confronting his own fragile mortality.

 

“He’ll calm down, let’s go grab our bags before someone else mistakes them for stuff pulled out of the house.”  She nodded to where Gideon left them beside her parents’ car helpfully.  At least, in his flustered desperation he had not forgotten to unload them.  Nick followed his partner, and they got their bags in the car.

 

“Reporters, ten o’clock.” Nick barked.  Judy ear-perked and then opened the back door.

 

“Quick, get in.  Maybe they won’t notice us.”  Nick hopped in the back, and Judy scooted in beside him.  The fox then rested his head back against the vinyl seat, seeming to enjoy that it had leg room for a bunny vehicle.  He and Judy were both jarred by a loud tapping at the opposite window from where they climbed in.  Fortunately it was not a reporter there to interrupt their needed break.  Unfortunately, it was the local sheriff.  The grey-tone sheep was a good two heads taller than the bunnies gathered with his wool neatly trimmed and tidy.  He was an older ram, but still seemed energetic.  Judy recognized him immediately.

 

“Nick, can you lean up and unlock the passenger front door?”  The fox did as asked as the sheep slipped in with some effort and sat down, leaving the door open as his size made the station wagon a little bit of a tight squeeze for him. 

 

“My oh my, do my eyes deceive me?  Is that really Jude the Dude, back from the city?”  Judy winced at the nickname.  She didn’t mind when her dad used it, but the connotation was a bit different when others did.  She saw the expression on Nick.  It was curious, but not teasing.

 

“Hey, Bo!” Judy forced pleasantry in her voice.  This sheep was not entirely supportive of her dream of being an officer.  She had wanted to go on ride-alongs to prepare her for the academy and this older ram had informed her he would consider it only if she were intent on staying in Bunnyburrow as preparing her for police work in Zootopia felt like assisted suicide at best, accessory to murder at worst.  He leaned back to Nick, smiling. 

 

“Robert Lagossi.” He shook the fox’s hand. “I’m the Sheriff here in Bunnyburrow.” 

 

“I’m Nick Wilde.  I tore my hands up sliding down a rope while saving bunny kits.”  Her partner introduced.  Bo jerked his hand back suddenly and Judy could guess why.  She bet that he had been squeezing Nick’s hand as hard as he could as a show of dominance.  Judy knew her partner’s hands were not really damaged, but Bo didn’t.

 

“Right.  Aheh…  Anyway, I am sure you know why I am here, Judy.” He stated.

 

“For the report.” She stated matter-of-factly as he took out his notebook.

 

“Spoken like a true cop.”  He inhaled deeply and then sighed.  “I gotta say, I didn’t expect you would climb as high as you did, Hell, none of us did, I don’t think, except your mom and dad I bet.  But the light you shine now sure does cast a humble shadow.  Sorry for not taking you seriously.  I cheated the tri-burrows out of one hell of a cop.” He remarked.  Judy furrowed her brow.  She didn’t remember it quite like that, she never offered once to be a police officer here, she was specifically avoiding that.  She didn’t feel like she would make a difference in the world by spending all her days helping stranded motorists and breaking up the occasional drunk family squabble.  “I guess I couldn’t convince you to leave all the glamour and lights, huh?” he laughed.

 

“No stealing my bunny.” Nick stated flatly.  Judy felt a flash of embarrassed heat torch her ears, laying them back.  _What the heck?_ She clarified immediately.

 

“Officer Wilde is my partner in Zootopia.” She explained.  The ram looked at the fox, who smiled something on the scale Judy would have labelled ‘smuggest’.

 

“Huh?  I reckon so.  Good to know you got someone you can depend on there.  Such a big place.”  Nick’s presence seemed to make the sheep suddenly more awkward, and he shuffled his notebook.  “So yeah, let’s uh… Let’s get to the busy work of the job, yeah?” he asked.  They got started recounting how everything happened for the sheriff’s report as the fire was eventually finally extinguished.

 

 

 

 

It was somewhat surreal how normal the car ride away from the burned house felt.  It would have been like it never happened if it were not for the smoky odor from the two officers.  The conversation was pretty casual, and Judy was relieved that her dad tried to stay away from additional talk about how he almost lost her.  They talked instead about Judy’s commute to work, if she ever had to walk through rough neighborhoods late at night, if Nick was walking her home (which he often did if it were late) and what kind of places Judy was getting her food from because she seemed perpetually underweight.  Judy needed to stay trim because her speed and agility were her only major advantages in the field.  Nick did not converse much because her parents seemed to largely ignore him.  This made the bunny cop a little uncomfortable because it felt like they were just not interested that she had brought a friend with her at all.  The conversation was not terse or starched, it was normal for them it just seemed to largely not include Nick.  After a bit of talking, Judy tried to pull Nick into the conversation directly, and he didn’t respond.  Her heart skipped a beat, the bunny thinking that maybe he was upset about how little he was being spoken to as they rode along, but when she looked beside her, he was slumped to the side, his head against the window.  He had fallen asleep.  The bunny folded her ears back.  How could he actually doze off after what they had just experienced? 

 

Nick held his hand on his seat belt up by his shoulder, his expression was almost lifeless with exhaustion.  His fur was blackened with smoke along the back of his neck, his ears, his cheeks and especially visible in the normally clean light cream along his neck, the mist from the hoses having soaked into his fur mixed with the soot a bit to make him look pretty filthy.  They would need to take a shower when they got back.  The bunny then widened her eyes, noticing some red on the seat belt where Nick was holding it.  She reached up and took his hand in hers.  It _had_ been cut by the rope.  Why hadn’t he taped it up?  She held his hand, inspecting it.  It wasn’t deep, just a tiny bit at the top near the knuckles.  Maybe it hadn’t been the rope, he could have gotten cut on something else in the house.  It had been dark.  Bonnie spoke up.

 

“While you two get cleaned up at the house, I am gonna make some lunch, I imagine all that life-saving works up an appetite!”  She laughed a bit at that, warily, suddenly afraid she’d set off her husband who was driving, but he just smiled anxiously and nodded.  Half the crying had been fear for his daughter’s safety, the other half an overturned ocean of pride for seeing her in action.  He had gotten it under control though.  As her mother spoke the younger doe watched her partner sleep.  He looked so content, his ear occasionally flicking to the sound of Bonnie’s voice but not seeming to consciously register it.  “The downstairs shower is broken, one of the grand-kits decided to swing on the shower head, so you and Nick will have to take turns on the upstairs one.  I will get one of the bigger towels from… the… from the guest…”  Judy looked up at her mother whose speech had faltered.  Bonnie had turned in her seat and was looking back curiously at Judy.  Judy stared back a moment.  She then looked down.  She was still holding the sleeping fox’s hand, and, at the point that her mother had turned around, had been silently watching him doze.  Her ears flushed and she gingerly placed his hand on his leg, scooting way over back closer to her door. 

 

“I need to get the first aid kit when we get home, Nick cut his hand on something, it looks like.” She said in a tiny voice, so embarrassed she could barely speak at all. 

 

“How bad’s he hurt, do we need to turn back?  Hospital’s down the last turn off.” Stu said in his usual manner of jumping to the worst case scenario.

 

“Just a nick, I can treat nick myself just fine.” She put a hand on her face.  “I can perform first aid for a nick, a small cut, I can treat a small cut just fine!” she said hastily.

 

“What?  Yeah, sure, they probably taught you all that in the academy!” her father said obliviously.  Her mother sat, eyes forward, not moving in the front seat at all.

 

Well, crap.


	4. Hammock

**Guardian Blue: Season One**

Episode 4:  Hammock

 

 

“Nick?  Nick wakey wakey.”  Judy flicked her partner’s ear.  He bared his teeth sleepily which didn’t really faze her.  She knew what he was like waking from an impromptu nap.  He sucked in a deep breath and stretched a little, his nostrils flaring.  She never asked what he was trying to sniff when he first woke up, but assumed it was no different than her ears perking as she woke to just reestablish where she was.  She got out and went to the trunk to get the bags.  Hers was light enough but she opted not to pick up Nick’s.  he used his good hand and sluggishly got it out.  He then looked up at the three-story Hopps estate, suddenly very much more awake.

 

“Why do I buy your coffee every other day again?” he asked.  “Fluff, you did not tell me you guys were loaded.”  He looked back at her, a little stunned.

 

“We get by, Nick.” Stu was the one speaking, holding his suspenders in that proud father manner.  “The house has been built up over generations, it’s not like any generation put that much capital into it.  It’s just big, but it’s been ours for a century.  A lot of bunnies made it big.  Come on, let’s get those things into the den and you can have the tour.”  Judy felt a little better given her dad was treating Nick more like he always treated guests.

 

The next half hour or more was just Nick being shown around.  There were so many small sleeping areas that were repurposed into other rooms, an office here, a craft room there, as they went, it was obvious to Judy that Nick was hopelessly lost and a bit overwhelmed, likely having no idea how many bunnies even lived there.  He was shown the broken shower downstairs, the working one upstairs, the guest room he’d be sleeping in, and Judy’s room which he was shown the door to but her parents kindly did not direct him into.  The den was massive, having a circle of couches and a TV on a spindle that could be rotated to face whichever.  Judy knew at one point there had even been two which connected to the same AV so that both sides of the circle would be watching.  The family actively living in the house was small enough that when one of the TVs went out it didn’t need to be replaced.  There was art on the wall, paintings done by the more artistic Hopps bunnies, and there were photos everywhere in the Den, nearly all the wall space taken up by art and images.  While much of the house was hardwood floor which made cleaning easier, her family found, the den was plushly carpeted which Nick seemed very found of, even leaning down and pushing his hands into it, thick tail waving about.  For a fox, Judy found her partner to be very tactile, he liked touching things. 

 

The tour of the house done, mostly by Stu, they ended up in the dining room where they found Bonnie setting out a few bowls with fruit salad and warm rolls.  They were honey glazed, something Judy always enjoyed.  Nick sat down, rubbing his hands together.  This reminded Judy of something.  She cleared her throat.

 

“First aid is downstairs bathroom, Dad?” she asked.

 

“Oh!  Yup!  Go take care of that.”  He sat down to his food.  Nick whined, making grabby paws at his bowl as Judy led him away.

 

“It’s not bad, it’s a scrape.” He looked at his own hand.

 

“Nick, it’s from who knows where, I want to clean it, I won’t have you getting an arm amputated when we get back.” She had Nick sit on the toilet with the seat down as she tended to it.  He protested a bit, certain that he could take care of his own injury, but the bunny would not hear it.  After a few moments he relented and she busied herself with that, eventually taping it up nicely as she’d been shown in her training.

 

“You came out of a really nice house, but I bet it felt kind of crowded, based on how the rooms are arranged and all.  Where is everyone?  I didn’t see anyone but your parents and you since we got here.” Nick stated.

 

“Well, of 18 brothers and sisters, only six still live at home, but you can bet you will see all of them now that my brother’s found out I am home.  Probably by dinner today.  I am not sure why my parents hadn't already told them unless they were afraid they would overwhelm you, since this is supposed to be about relaxation.”  Nick flicked his ear at that.

 

“Or they know your brothers will bury me out back.” he chuckled.

 

“They won’t, Nick.  You're fine…  However, that does bring up an issue I need to talk to you about.”  She put the first aid kit back in the cabinet under the sink. 

 

“Oh?  Someone doesn’t want me staying here I take it?” he asked.

 

“My grandfather will be here Saturday for dinner.” Judy answered with an anxious expression.  Nick looked at her in near shock.

 

“Carrots, you could have left me in the house to burn to death, I could have been spared!” he huffed in exasperation.  Judy waved her hand.

 

“He’s only gonna be here like… four hours or so, we can find something for you to do, let you watch some movies, take a nap, you don’t have to be subjected to him.”  Nick seemed to think about that a while and then shook his head.

 

“I want to have dinner with him.  With the rest of you.”  Judy sucked in a deep breath through her teeth.

 

“Ooooh, I do not think that’s a great idea.  When I told you what he was like, I was really kind of glossing it over.”  Nick looked at his partner blankly so she continued.  “… I know you, Nick, he will start making comments, you will start antagonizing him, he will lash out, you will prank him, and when all is said and done, the Hopps family is on the evening news.”  The fox laughed at Judy’s description of that.

 

“Okay, Fluff, how about this…” he began, “… I promise that I will be on my best behavior, no pranks, no hassling the elderly, and whatever he throws my way, I will take it in stride.”  Judy crossed her arms as she regarded her partner.

 

“Okay, that sounds almost too good to be true, given you have at least some idea how my Pop-Pop is gonna be, what do you get out of this?” she asked.

 

“You allow me a favor.  I can ask it at any point during the night.”  Nick stated this casually, but Judy had to fight back her blush.  What in the world could he even ask for?  She remembered his territorial behavior with Bo, and hoped it had nothing to do with that.  Surely not, they bantered a bit, but nothing that could really be seen as actual flirting.  She hesitated as she considered this.  Nick raised an eyebrow and added, “… Nothing too personal or odd, I promise.”  She exhaled slowly.

 

“Deal, but if he freaks out too bad and it’s a real painful thing to watch, I want the ability to go for a walk or something and get you out of that.  He may be family but I really do not know how much I can stomach Pop-Pop abusing my partner.  You know how I feel about that stuff.” Judy said softly.  Nick nodded a bit at that.

 

“Yes, I know.  And I promise.  Best behavior.  You will be proud.”  He grinned a grin that sent a chill down her spine.  She led him back to the dining hall; the huge, long table seated her dad and mom, both of whom were almost done with their food.  Nick held up his hand, smiling.  Judy sat down.

 

“All fixed up.” The younger doe stated, “Nick, you get the shower first after we have a bit to eat, keep your hand out of it, I don’t want to immediately have to re-tape it."  Nick nodded and enjoyed the fruit salad and especially the rolls.  There was butter which had not been expected and he used a generous amount of that.  Judy made it a point to remember that Nick liked that on his bread.  She was not as much for it as she was for jams or preserves.  Nick and Stu were the primary purveyors of conversation.  Nick resorted to his con-artist experience and talked about the things her father would love talking about with as much interest as he could show.  Judy had been more worried that her father would not get along with Nick, but it seemed that was a non-issue.  Her mother however had been suspiciously quiet, and Judy inwardly dreaded the reason why.  The food gone, Nick excused himself, and Stu offered to show Nick again where the bathroom he would be washing up in was.  That left Judy alone with Bonnie with the conversation she knew was coming.

 

“Your partner is very friendly.  He tries very hard to make a good impression on your father.”  She nodded a bit, that wise motherly tone used in full.

 

“He risked his life to save a bunch of bunny kits as a first impression, I don’t think he needs to be worried.” Judy chuckled.  Of course, she had done it too, but she felt like maybe they were ignoring the fact that her partner had been there with her the whole time.

 

“How long have you two been on the force together?” Bonnie asked, mindlessly polishing a dull lapine claw tip.  Judy drew in a slow, steady breath.  Oh yeah, the conversation was definitely going there.

 

“You guys met him the first time right after he graduated.  It’s been about half a year, a little more.”  She shrugged.

 

“You hang out sometimes after work?  You two are friends without the badge, right?” she asked.  Judy rolled her eyes.  The older bunny was trying to look casual and disinterested, making small talk as she put the pieces together.  It was obvious what Bonnie was thinking, and Judy was a little irritated by that.  After such a little thing, too!  Another voice cut in.

 

“Nick’s brushing himself out, you’re up, Jude.”  Stu’s timing interrupted the interrogation by the older doe, and Judy stood up and nodded to her mom again, then tilted her nose at her dad and nodded.  The younger doe folded her black-tipped ears back, sighing with relief.  That was not a conversation she looked forward to at all.  Bonnie would understand better after Nick had been there a few days. She headed upstairs to take her shower.

 

As she arrived at the bathroom, she found Nick doing what she suspected he would be doing, brushing out his tail, but what she had not suspected is that he would still be in a towel.  She froze, and Nick pushed himself closer to the sink to let Judy pass, as if she’d just go ahead and get her shower started right behind him as he finished up his grooming.  She gave him a curious look, and he backed up again, realizing she was not trying to get past.  The russet fox was far more comfortable with himself than Judy was, and she suspected he could actually wander around in that Oasis place and not feel self-conscious.  She was not sure if she should envy that kind of freedom.  Still, it wasn’t like seeing Nick shirtless was that new, he certainly didn’t wear one during swim training and that wasn’t odd to Judy.  She didn’t know why this was any more embarrassing.

 

“You have insane water pressure, Fluff.” Nick said casually enough.  The bunny’s ears burned as she looked away, having been caught staring, she feared.  She spoke up, trying to talk out of the awkward moment.

 

“You don’t have water pressure in your apartment?” she asked.

 

“Goodness no, mine feels like I’m standing under Wolford’s face on Taco Tuesday.”  Judy snickered at that revelation and finally scooted by Nick, hanging up her towel as she spoke with him.  The initial shock of finding him in a towel was quickly wearing off because of he did not seem to care at all about it.  Nick was not the shy type, but he was even less guarded around her and that was comforting.  His carefree attitude made her feel less weird about it.  His being relaxed all the time had a way of rubbing off on her if she was around it a lot.

 

“You didn’t use all the hot water did you?” she asked seriously.

 

“Nope, pretty short shower since I was afraid of getting my mummified paw wet.” The fox laughed.  “What’s up on the agenda after the showers are done?” he asked, brushing away with his neat silver comb.

 

“A short tour of the area around the house, some of my favorite spots maybe.  We might take the truck into town if you are feeling up to it, but the offer still stands for you to get a little sleep since you were not feeling well earlier.” 

 

“I feel much better after the shower, actually.  Arms are a little sore, but that’s to be expected.” He laughed.  He then made a distressed sound.  Judy perked up.

 

“What’s wrong?” she asked with concern.

 

“I have no idea what this is, but it’s melted into my tail.  My magnificent butt plume is ruined.” Nick indicated some kind of black streak on his thick fox tail and held an arm in front of his eyes, head tilted back dramatically.  Judy took the unimaginably soft appendage back into her hands for the second time in a single day.  She looked at the streak a bit and then sighed.

 

“Melted plastic.  Man, you really got close to an ugly injury there.  I bet it dropped down on you from melting wiring.” She explained.  The fur was crimped and dead and damaged where the plastic had come in contact with it so just removing the plastic was not an option.  She reached into the cabinet and took out a pair of grooming scissors.

 

“I hope you intend to murder me with those.” Nick stated, trying to take his tail back.  Judy kept her grip.

 

“I can fix it, I promise.  Trust me, I’ve had to deal with my brothers and sisters getting all kinds of goop in their fur the day before picture day, I can handle this.  It’ll even look professional.

 

“I will trust you this once, but if you make me regret it, you are never allowed to talk to my tail again.”  Judy laughed a bit.  The revelation that it was rude to grab a fox’s tail had, over time, become something of a running gag of how protective Nick was over it.  Judy noticed, however, that Nick had to look away as the sound of snipping from the grooming sheers rose from her agile little hands.  The bunny staggered the deft little cuts so no two were in exactly the same line of his fur, some deeper, some more shallow, and with a bit of work, all the melted black plastic was gone.  Judy then picked up Nick’s silver comb and stroked it through the well-tended fur, smoothing it out.  There was absolutely no obvious indentation where she had done her work, and Nick nodded at her with a very happy grin, leaning back over the sink and putting away his toothbrush from earlier in his little tote bag as Judy finished brushing out the affected area.  A voice from outside the bathroom rose up as it approached.

 

“Oh Judy, good, caught you before the shower, I almost forgot to tell you, your father got the hammock up in the…  in the orchard…”  Judy froze.  She turned to see her mother standing in the hall outside the bathroom.  Nick’s tail was pulled up against her daughter’s front as she carefully brushed it like it was her own, the fox in nothing but a towel before her.  Nick smiled at Bonnie, utterly shameless.

 

“Ooh!  A hammock!  I finally get to try one of those out!” he looked back at her.  She smiled nervously as Judy’s wide eyes looked back, trying not to look guilty and knowing she only looked guiltier for it.

 

“Yes, that was the idea.” Bonnie said almost robotically.  She turned and wandered down the hall.  Judy put the comb down and rubbed her face.  Really?  _Really_?  Nick took his tail up and inspected it, nodding again, not seeming to notice or care about what had just transpired between mother and daughter. 

 

“Lovely job, partner!” he barked.  “I’d have only trusted that to my mom before, but you came through!”  He then vacated the bathroom, leaving it to Judy to go get dressed.  Judy looked at her hands.  _It didn’t look that bad, did it?  Surely she could just write that off after she got to know how relaxed Nick was, right?_   The bunny groaned and got into the shower.

 

The shower itself was kept short because she didn’t want Nick to have to wander around and get lost or worse yet, endure suddenly questioning from her mother concerning her mistaken interpretation.  While Judy was the oldest of her siblings and several were already married or seriously dating, the fact that Nick was a fox would have been a real deal-breaker to her parents she knew, and she could only imagine how bad her mom was freaking out about it if she really thought that was what was going on.  It wasn’t that cross-species relationships were that unusual.  Sure they were not common, but Bunnyburrow was not very progressive in that area because it was not very diverse.  It was much stranger there.  She would talk to her mom later and get her off the train of thought she had to be on.  

 

The doe got out of the shower, dried off quickly, and in her own fluffy white towel made a beeline for her room.  She got in and looked about.  It was small, and it still looked like a teenager’s room.  There were posters on the wall, books on the shelves, a few detective novels and the like, and little stuffed animals everywhere.  The stuffed animals were bunnies, sheep, and a deer, all representing favorite family and friends.  She rubbed her chin.  The sentimental bunny felt maybe it would be necessary to add a fox.  She then shook her head.  If Nick saw that he’d have hours of fun with teasing her about it, so this room would be off limits.  She then went back downstairs after putting on a blue button up shirt and jeans, feeling much more refreshed.  It was nice not being scented of tragedy. 

 

“She didn’t!  In the cement?” Stu asked loudly.  Nick laughed and nodded, the two males sitting across from each other in the den.

 

“I remind you that we were not exactly friends at that time, but even I was surprised she did that.  Those beavers must have wanted to tail-slap her into Tundra Town, and she was so mad at me.” Judy gasped.  They were talking about her!  Having a right laugh about it!  She would so get him back next time she talked to his mother.

 

“Ready for the outside tour, Nick?” Judy asked warmly.  She wanted him to realize he had been caught.  To her chagrin, he didn’t even seem to care.  He grinned over a very large glass mug in his hands.  Cider.  Her dad broke out the cider. She knew they got along, but not enough to get out the cider, surely!

 

“Sure Fluff!” Nick stated. Tilting the mug back. Judy considered warning Nick that it was homemade brew and pretty potent, but she decided to let him figure that out as he stumbled about the yard.  She motioned him toward the sliding glass door that lead to the back yard, and Nick gasped as he exited.  It was a lovely, well managed area, full of all the memories Judy had of playing tag, running around, being a kid.  She felt very happy to add a memory of her partner to this place.  He looked up at the tall deciduous trees, then down the hill to what looked like a soccer field though there were no physical goals.  There was a jungle gym sort of play set that looked pretty new. It was better than Judy had when she was a kit, but the technology for making playsets had surely improved.  Down the hill a way, where the larger trees gave way to some fruit trees Judy spotted the white mesh hammock.  It was smaller than she remembered it, but still plenty big enough for Nick to lay in.  Her partner followed her and then gasped suddenly and loudly, causing Judy to jump a little.  He left her side, striding quickly toward the fence that surrounded the back yard.

 

“Nick, where are you – Oh.  Of course.”  She laughed, jogging a bit to catch up to him as he stopped and put his hands over his ears, pulling them back in excitement as he looked at the bushes heavily dotted with blueberries.  He held his hands out to them in indication of what he was seeing as he looked at Judy.

 

“I’ve never seen them in the wild!” he said excitedly.

 

“This is not the wild, this is a back yard.”  Judy smirked a bit as she crossed her arms.

 

“Can I _eat_ these?  Are they ripe, how do I know?” he asked.

 

“If they are blue, they should be fine.  Worst you get is one that’s a little more tart.”  Judy leaned on the fence a little as her partner looked all around the bush.  He really was a city fox.  There were a lot of things she took for granted that Nick might find exciting like this.  Perhaps she had been a little off in saying there was not much to do in Bunnyburrow.  He might enjoy himself more than she thought.  She took her phone out and took a picture of his excitement as he tried to find a perfect blueberry.  She was doing a favor for Vivienne who she had messaged to say that she was taking Nick out of the city.  She told the bunny she wanted all sorts of pictures of her son.  The vixen was really trying to catch up on time lost.  That picture she immediately texted to Vivienne.  The reply was texted laughter.  Judy felt good letting Nick’s mom enjoy the trip a little as well.  Nick gathered a handful of blueberries over the course of several moments and they moved the rest of the way to the hammock.  Nick munched his blueberries and swayed a bit as he walked to the stretched out mesh.  Yeah, he was just a little bit tipsy. 

 

“So, how do I do this without turning myself into a Saturday morning kit’s cartoon?” he asked.  Judy held one side.

 

“I help you this time.  It can be a little harrowing on your own, but go ahead.  Give it a try.”  She held the hammock carefully in place, finding it a bit more of a challenge than when it was for her little brothers and sisters since Nick was so much larger than them.  He seemed a little concerned about it but eventually ended p on his back in the appropriate lounging position.  Judy took a step back, letting it swing slightly, and he held both sides, tensing up anxiously, before relaxing a bit and looking to Judy.  He looked like a very comfortable fox.

 

“Okay, it’s everything I ever dreamed and more.”  He gave his usual sly grin to the bunny, then his expression softened as he looked up through the trees.  “Wow… That’s actually very pretty, just looking up through them.  The shapes of light and leaves.  I can see why my mom was happy to get out of the city.”  Nick crossed his hands over his tummy, interlocking his fingers. 

 

Judy murmured softly, “I'm gonna run inside and get a drink, I'll be right back, you just relax in the hammock.  It won’t take long.”  She backed up a bit, and the fox nodded, smiling as he took his own phone out and took a picture up through the trees, perhaps to remember the view he seemed to enjoy.  He then put the phone back in his pocket, put his hands back together over his tummy and closed his eyes, enjoying the very gentle rocking motion caused by the gentle breeze.  It was the perfect day for this sort of thing.  Judy quietly took her phone out and snagged another picture of her partner for his mom.  She then went inside and got some orange juice, sipping on it as she clandestinely sent a picture to Nick’s mother again.  Instead of texting, she immediately called.  The bunny was glad she went inside, she didn’t want it known that she was harvesting images for the fox’s mother!  She answered as she sat up on the stool.

 

“Judy!  That’s Nick sleeping in a hammock.  Are you tweaking his ears or something?” she asked.  The doe tilted her head at that, phone to her ear.

 

“Tweaking his ears?” she asked. “No, he wasn’t sleeping there, just relaxing.”  She was happy to hear from the vixen as it had been a couple weeks since they talked.

 

“When he was a kit and would get fussy I’d take his ear between my thumb and fingers and just tweak it a while, he would go right out.  He looks so peaceful there, and here you worried that Nick would not be able to relax!”  Judy flattened her ears.  She could put her partner to sleep by rubbing an ear?  Oh his mother could not have meant to tell her that!  She grinned at the information and filed it in her head for later.

 

“I didn’t know about that, but thanks for the intel!” Judy laughed.  Her partner’s mom gasped.

 

“Don’t’ you dare tell him I told you that!” she hissed.  The doe laughed.

 

“No worries about that.  But yes, he’s relaxed.  We helped drag some kids out of a burning house today.”  She wanted to give her that information up front so it did not seem like it was hidden.  She would find out somehow. 

 

“Is everyone okay?” his mom predictably asked.

 

“I had to trim some melted plastic out of Nick’s tail, but no major injuries.”  She did not tell her about the little cut on his hand.

 

“You trimmed Nick’s tail?”  The tone was worried.

 

“It looks fine, I’m good at it.  He’s happy with it.” She offered.

 

“You trimmed it?” she asked again.  Judy flattened her ears.

 

“Yep.  Looks the same as always though, you can’t even tell.”  The doe felt a little odd that it was asked again.

 

Vivienne rattled off again, “Nick willingly gave you his –“ Judy laughed.

 

“Yes!  It’s fine, he was apprehensive but it turned out fine.” The bunny laughed.  Vivienne laughed as well, dispelling the feeling that Judy was tromping over boundaries again

 

“Uh...huh...  You keep sending me those pictures.  Have some fun. I’m glad to see he’s enjoying Bunnyburrow, it’s a nice place.”  Judy graciously accepted his mother’s thanks and hung up, finishing her orange juice.  She went back outside and walked over to the hammock.  She knew immediately that without someone to focus his attention on, Nick let himself go entirely and had dozed off, likely in part because of the cider.  It was fine of course; Judy wanted him to get as much rest as he could.  She was grateful that he was.  The bunny pinned her ears back again.  She looked at the photos on her phone.  She had something of a theme going for her holiday photos as it was going.  Two pictures of Nick asleep in different places.  She laughed a bit at that, and decided to snag another.  She carefully crawled into the hammock, she was way more practiced at it than he was.  She arched a bit, putting her head about level with his chest and grinning at the camera as she took the picture, Nick’s passive, content face at the top of the frame.  Judy then scrolled back through her pictures.  She decided to put the sleepy Nick pictures in their own gallery so she didn’t weird Nick out if he were to see them as she scrolled through pictures on her phone.  She laid against the fox in the hammock and took care of that, then inhaled deeply. 

 

After a moment, she became aware of that same wave of contentment settling over her like a heavy blanket, secure and warm.  She had felt it before when she fell asleep against him during movie night.  She still had no idea what that was about.  It wasn’t a bad feeling, but it wasn’t what she would call an exciting one, so her mother had nothing to worry about, she felt.  But it felt familiar somehow, and inviting.  Was it his scent, she wondered?  No, he had just showered, and if there was any lingering scent on him it was house fire. 

 

As she thought about this, she became acutely aware that she moved when he breathed.  Softly up, slowly down, the gentle rhythm of her partner’s slumber partly under her, partly beside her where the natural curve of the hammock came together.  She looked up at the pattern that Nick had been looking at.  The leaves crossing and dancing in the sunlight casting their golden designs below, the ruffle of her fur, the scent of the farm, it was all so comforting.  She looked at the pictures of Nick sleeping again. She felt good that he was not dealing with a life too hectic in their visit.  He should feel like a new fox when all this was said and done, and that’s what she was going for.

 

Her body rose and fell with the deep, slower fox breaths.  How different the larger predator’s physiology was, but it did not feel at all out of place to Judy.  She crossed her arms over her chest, willing herself ot get out of the hammock and let him nap.

 

Her will faltered and the early morning train ride defeated the bunny in a sound, very one-sided victory.  Judy closed her eyes and drifted to sleep where she was without a single thought or care, comforted beyond words for a reason she still could not place.


	5. Family

**Guardian Blue: Season One**

Episode 5:  Family

 

 

Soft serenity.  The sounds of birds high in the trees, sparse but cheerful, the gentle rustle of leaves, the dull hum of a tractor tilling soil in the pasture beyond the windbreak.  The smell of honeysuckle and clover clung to the gentle breeze like lovers greeting at the end of a war, inseparable and irrevocably beautiful.  Then there was the gentle rhythm of slow rising and falling and the almost unknowable sway of the tight mesh hammock.  It was that rising and falling that reminded Judy where she was, but the firm tapping of her shoulder that informed her why she was awake.  She didn’t have time to reflect about how she fell asleep tucked tight against her dozing partner’s side, it wasn’t exactly the first time that the odd sense of peace near him had caused it; her reaction was gauged more by what she saw as she turned over, away from the sleeping fox.

 

Bonnie stood by the hammock, appearing rather more concerned than she had before in the car.  Judy most certainly visibly winced which only made her feel guiltier for a suspected thing of which she was absolutely innocent.  But, how much more damning could it have been?  Okay, so the teasing she got about her clinginess aside, she might be just a wee bit too comfortable around the fox.  But bunnies were known for their close ties to their best friends, how was this supposed to be any different?  Why should she feel guilty about it at all?  She sat up and slid carefully out of the hammock. She whispered, trying not to rouse her peacefully slumbering partner.

 

“Hey mom!  Gosh, I don’t know what happened, I was clearing images out of my phone to make more space for pictures of my visit, and the early morning train ride and house fire thing all came crashing down.  Nick was already out on account of the cider Dad gave him, poor guy-“ Bonnie ended the conversation by nodding her head in the direction of the flower garden she and Judy used to tend together to have talks about school, friends, troubles… everything.  The younger doe dropped her black-tipped ears back and obediently followed her mother, gazing at her feet as they walked. Any denial, truthful though it may be, was going to make Judy seem more scandalous and she didn’t want that kind of conflict with her mom.  Bonnie went to her knees in front of a row of daffodils and began pruning off the wilted flowers.

 

“Pretty comfortable in Nick’s company, yes?” asked the older doe.  Judy sighed.  Literally right where their conversation left off earlier in the day.  She got her persistence from her mom, she was sure of it.

 

“We’ve faced danger to save one another.  Goes with the territory.  Yes, I trust him.” Judy said.  The more she could avoid bringing up the concept of dating, the less guilty it would sound.  How does one even prove they’re innocent of something like that?  Her sisters got this talk plenty, but they were actually guilty.  Every single time.  It was not a track record that Judy was going to have an easy time getting around.  Her mother spoke again, plucking a little bit of unwanted vegetation from alongside a flower.

 

“I guess I hadn’t really thought about it before, but I think you talk about your partner more than any other aspect of living in the city.  But you haven’t told us that much about who he is, we barely know him outside of what he’s done, what you both have done since you met him.  What kind of family does he have?  Does he move around a lot?  Where does he live?  Does he live close to you?”  Her mother rapid-fired some questions, apparently no longer interested in being interrupted before she could dig for information.  The worst thing Judy could do was intentionally start evading questions, that would really put a kink in her mom’s ears.  Judy inhaled deeply and calmly answered all of her questions.

 

“I do talk a lot about my partner because, as I said, I don’t know a lot of other people in the city because work keeps me pretty busy and I am not exactly a social butterfly outside of my job.  His dad’s passed on, his only other family is his mother who lives in New Reynard, I told you a couple months ago about him getting back in contact with her, it was really emotional, remember?”  Her mother nodded at that, and cupped her muzzle, as if having forgotten, then adding weight to why Nick might be inclined to let the bunny get close.  That was not the direction Judy was trying to go.

 

“I remember that, he was so happy, I just hadn’t realized that was his only family.  And you gave that back to him, that’s so wonderful.”  Her phrasing seemed genuine on that, but Judy continued so she would not dwell on it and try to pull more meaning from it.

 

“Nick has an apartment, it’s not very close to mine, but it’s cozy for him I guess.  It’s bigger than my little efficiency thing, but I hope to upgrade once I get a little padding saved up.” Judy explained.  “I’m looking at some nicer apartments a little closer to work to lower my commute time, and it’s close to the train depot too, it’s just.. about fifty percent more expensive… But it’s got a kitchen so I can spend less on eating out so that’s a plus.”  The younger doe was trying to edge the conversation gently away from Nick and more about her own plans for improving her life.  Her mom would surely be interested in talking about that!

 

“Do you and Nick sleep together often?”  Her next question sucked the wind out of Judy’s lungs, and she had to take a slow inhale to calm herself.  The implication was a lot more weighted than she expected from her mom.  Apparently she did not take the bait!

 

“Not often.” Judy answered casually, and then gritted her teeth.  She could have just said no.  She should have just said no!  Or she could have said ‘we don’t’, or hey, maybe she could have just said, ‘It was not my intent to fall asleep by him then, mom’, that was sure true.  She was most definitely not the con-artist Nick could be.  Her mother’s sudden weighted question had caused her to choke, that was shamefully obvious.

 

“But sometimes?” she asked.  Judy’s heart pounded like a jackhammer.  No way out. There was no way out of this uncomfortable conversation that she could not come out of looking like something she wasn’t. 

 

“No, not sometimes.” Judy answered flatly.  “I’ve dozed off while we were watching movies before, and he fell asleep beside me on the train.  Look, I really don’t want to make it seem like I – “

 

“Jude!  Heeeeeey!”  The smaller grey doe perked up, ears tall at the male voice from behind. She looked back.  It was her brother Charlie.  It was as if the heavens had delivered her from this unhallowed moment into … well purgatory at least, the conversation would happen eventually but she’d at least have more time to try to figure out how she was going to prove herself innocent amid such damning but entirely circumstantial evidence.  Judy jumped up and bolted for her brother.  She heard a grumble from her mom.  Charlie was the tallest and probably strongest of the Hopps children, a brown and black bunny with fur color closer to Stu’s, but the ear markings emblazoned on Judy, with a bit of black on his nose as well.  He was honestly not that much shorter than Nick now that she got a look at him after so long.  His ears might actually have given him comparable height, at least. 

 

“Nice to see you Charlie, you didn’t waste any time at all getting here, huh?” she asked.

 

“Nope!  Eddie, Angela, Frankie and Jessie are here too, they met up with me at The Mill and came on down.”  He hugged his sister in pretty much the usual way, picking her up and spinning her in a full rotation.  He put Judy back down and punched her shoulder lightly.  “I heard about you getting pumpkin chucked by ol’ Gid!  That’s all over the burrow now.  Man, I hope he’s got Travis running into town to get more baking supplies ‘cause I bet he’s not gonna be able to get out of the kitchen for a week.”  Judy laughed at that and nodded at her brother.  He was by and far the most supportive of her family concerning her dream of being a police officer and while he was two years younger she treated him as an equal as a result which bonded them more closely as siblings.  They caused lots of trouble together.  Bonnie walked by the two.

 

“Thank you so much for coming.  Judy could use the distraction, she seemed a little bored, napping the day away.” She glanced with an unreadable expression to her daughter, and then proceeded past her and her and Charlie.  “I’ll go say hi to the others, I take it all four will hit their spots for tonight?” she asked.

 

“Yeah, that’s the plan.  Say, where’s your partner, heard he was with you, he staying too?” asked Charlie.  Judy felt a little wave of relief.  She was off the hook for now, at least.

 

“He’s being a lazy thing on a hammock right now, but I suspect he’d be grumpy if I let him miss half his holiday sleeping.  Besides, it’s hard enough for him to keep day time hours as it is without me killing his routine over a four day weekend!” she laughed.  She led the buck toward the stand of trees where Nick was sleeping.  What she saw upon arrival was the quiet aftermath of simple tragedy.  When she got out of the hammock, Nick apparently tried to roll over in his sleep at some point because the warm bunny was gone, and he was now sitting dazed on the ground beside the hammock.  He looked very lost.  After seeing Judy approach, he seemed to remember and get focused again.  He stood up and smoothed his shirt and tie. 

 

“Nick Wilde, happy to meetcha!” he barked, shaking with his clearly injured paw.  Charlie might have given a squeeze but the bandaging seemed to make him think otherwise.

 

“Charlie Hopps!” came the enthusiastic reply.  “Nice to meet you too, finally.  Dad’s told me a little about you, but the crazy stuff I heard earlier today kinda paints a better picture of who you are.  Good to have ya!”  Judy was stoked to see her favorite sibling getting along with Nick right off the bat.  Charlie had a tendency to be very skeptical about all of his sister’s male friends, and Judy had been a bit concerned because she thought of herself as likely the sister he would be the most protective over.  Of course it might have been a little different with Nick because he was a fox, but still, it was good to see him smile.

 

Judy followed Nick and Charlie inside as Charlie began asking Nick questions about what the difference was between a police officer and a detective, little questions he might generally have asked Judy but in this case it was an angle he could use to get to know Nick better.  She knew her brother well.  He was still doing his usual thing of scoping out his sisters’ friends as he so often did.  Judy greeted her other siblings who had arrived.  All were younger, of course.

 

First there was Jessie who was only younger than Judy by a number of hours.  Her only littermate, she was known for being almost as reckless and rambunctious as her older sister, but her grace came with age, and she slipped a little more seamlessly into country life as a young doe in high school.  She did not choose a mate as she opted to become a teacher and felt she’d have plenty of kits to deal with then, but she was notorious for sneaking dates into the house and causing her poor father a double portion of stress.  The lighter grey bunny had a shock of white hair fluffier at the top of her head that she did not trim as most did when that was a feature, instead just laying it over one eye as a fashion statement as it reminded her of Gazelle.  Dramatic and playful with a teasing sense of humor, if there was a prank one could guess who was responsible with this one nearby.

 

Then there was Frankie, who was three years younger than Judy.  She was a little taller than Judy, though not much, and seemed a bit shorter because the brown doe kept her ears down all the time.  The reason was that one didn’t go up at all, she damaged it one year when they were all still very young in a hay-ride accident.  As a result, she usually just wore a hat and kept both down so it didn’t look off at all.  She was very relaxed and laid back, though in her youth she had fought a lot with Judy with general sibling rivalry.  Frankie was married and had two kits of her own, but from the last Judy had heard, Frankie’s husband was having a bit of down time from work which left him more in the child-rearing lifestyle while Frankie did the work, simple but tediously busy work in a textile mill.  Judy would lose her mind with that kind of work, but Frankie did not really seem to mind it.

 

Eddie was there, only a year younger than his eldest sister.  Judy was actually pretty surprised to see him, he had been married a while and had four kits of his own.  He was notorious for failing to show up at family gatherings as his wife kept him so busy.  Eddie was a mechanic, and while shy he was very reliable.  He hoped to go back to school one day and take some engineering courses and actually invent things.  Eddie was solid grey, a little darker than Judy with no markings at all, save for lighter tones under his chin, and along his chest and belly.

 

Finally in greeting there was Angela.  This was the sister that she was the most apprehensive about meeting Nick.  She was a solid black bunny a little taller and more athletic than Judy was with striking ice-blue eyes.  She loved everything fitness, was fierce and competitive, and had a hot temper and boundless energy.  Her attitude was somewhat impatient and her sense of humor was, at times, lacking.  This caused her to get into fights a lot with her older sister Jessie when a prank would go wrong.  This is what worried her about Nick.  Hopefully he’d be mindful and polite since he didn’t know her well.  She had not gotten married and Judy suspected it was because bucks in general did not really warm her heart.  She would not dare accuse her hot-headed sister of that though, not without much better proof.

 

Charlie actually took over the introductions which suited Judy just fine, as she was warily watching for her mother, actually feeling guilty for dodging that conversation.  What could she even say?  Each of her siblings came over and gave her a nuzzling squeeze which was something of the trademark of bunny families, and then went over to meet her partner.  Eddie seemed a bit standoffish, but Judy knew it was because he was shy, he simply waved to Nick from the and flopped down on the half-moon couch and turned on the big TV, turning the volume down so as not to interrupt the other greetings.

 

Frankie was next, a cordial greeting where she shook Nick’s hand and explained that she was glad Nick was there to help keep Judy out of trouble, and that she had a lot of misgivings about Judy moving to the city, she wished she could stay, but felt better knowing she was making friends.  She seemed a little paused in calling Nick a friend though.  Judy knew Frankie was a little less warm about foxes, having dissented a bit when her parents started working with Gideon, but that seemed to be wearing off, if a little slowly.  Nick greeted Frankie politely and promised that he would continue to make sure Judy stayed safe in the big scary city.  He did not seem to notice, or at least, make it plain that he noticed her reservations about calling Nick a friend.  He expected some of that, he’d been clear on it before the visit.

 

Jessie fist-bumped Nick, then walked around him for the sole purpose, it seemed, to just get a closer look at a fox that she didn’t seem too worried about offending.  Nick stood still and allowed this, hands clasped behind his back as if at ease in a drill.  He gazed forward appropriately as she leaned in, nose wiggling, and then leaned back.  She seemed curious about him because her closest look at a fox was likely Gideon and Nick was not a lot like Gideon even though they were both foxes.  This one was smaller, lean, with keen eyes.  He even stood a little differently from Gideon, who usually seemed shy and tucked in.  Nick stood tall and secure.  She nodded, as if satisfied that this was, in fact, a fox.

 

“I’m Jessie, Jude’s littermate.” she stated calmly.  “Good to finally meet the fox who helped my sister bring down the big bad sheep.” She laughed.  Nick laughed too.

 

“Yeah, that was your sister’s show, trust me.  I was more like a prop.” He chuckled.  Judy rolled her eyes.  It might have been habit, but Nick really did not have to downplay how valuable he was in all that anymore.  “Ooof!”  Nick grunted a bit, stepping sideways to keep from being tipped over as Angela stepped in beside him and bumped his hips with her own hard.  Judy widened her eyes, folding her ears back.  That started up fast.  She felt a rush of defensiveness flare through her.  She can’t just hip-bump Nick, that’s…  Well, that’s something Judy would do, but Angela didn’t know him well enough to do that.  The ebon doe grinned at the recovering red vulpine.

 

“I dunno, you don’t look like a prop to me.  Look like you can rise to the challenge if you had to.” Angela said with a boisterous and proud voice.  Nick looked warily at Judy and then grinned at the unintroduced sister.

 

“Well, maybe now, after going through the academy and all.  That place nearly killed me and your sister made it through at the tip top of her class!”  Nick held his hand up in a wide gesture.  Judy perked up a little.  He was deflecting attention.  She forgot his wit sometimes.

 

“Yeah, she’s something special, eh?  Turned in a matter of days from the Hopps oddball to the Hopps star.  Deserved the change too, she worked hard for it.”  The boisterous black bunny looked back to Nick, smirking.  “…And finally, one of my sisters brings back a boy I’m not so likely to accidentally break!  I’m Angela, by the way.  Wanna try boxing or something while yer here?” she asked.  Nick looked with concern at Judy, who shook her head vigorously.  Nick could win, she knew, but Angela could be a sore loser.  Nick then grinned that smug grin that told Judy everything was going to go horribly wrong.

 

“Actually, on the way up here I was just talking with Judy…” Nick began.  Judy’s heart tripped and tumbled around in her chest.  H _e forgot.  He had to have forgotten.  There was a fire, kits that were saved, he got injured, everyone almost died, he can’t remember that stupid-_ “… And I told her I thought it would be fun to get some of her siblings and friends together and play Munch.”  _Oh god no.  He did it.  He actually did it._ Charlie perked up, looking suddenly stunned.

 

“M… Munch?  Really?  You would… You would _play_ that?” he asked.

 

“Sure, I got the gist of the rules, it’s simple enough.  Have you guys ever played with a real fox?” he asked, grinning smugly again at Angela.  Judy cupped her muzzle.  There was no way out.  Angela could only see it as a direct challenge.  She would not dare back down from it. 

 

“Oh you are _on_ foxy-fluff!” Angela yelled.  She was practically shaking with excitement.

 

“I’m in.” Charlie said.  “How about you Jude, you playing?”  Judy looked horrified.

 

“Oh, well, we don’t have all the players we would even need, we gotta have a dozen and the fox, I mean, we’ve got just a few of us here.”  She tried hard to prevent this flight into insanity from getting off the ground.  Her partner spoke up.

 

“Oh, certainly I didn’t mean we were going to run out back and play right now, things have to be arranged!” Nick said, waving a hand dismissively.  “Tomorrow morning at… say... eleven?  Think we can get some players interested by then?” he asked.

 

“You better believe it!  Bunch of bunnies would be right pleased to get to run around on a field with you two after what you did at Doc Tuber’s place.  Reckon a bunch would even come out just to watch!” he laughed.  Nick perked up.

 

“Really?” he asked.  Judy shrunk back, holding her muzzle.  This wasn’t happening.  _It was supposed to be a quiet weekend.  Nick was about to put himself in one of the most fox-shaming positions she could think of.  Did it really not matter at all to him how that looked?  They would actually be grabbing for his tail!  He could lose fur out of it over this, did he not know that?_   Judy didn’t want to protest in front of her family because it would look like she was trying to control Nick.  That would be terrible too.  Suddenly, their attention was pulled away as Eddie chimed in.

 

“Hey guys!  Nick and Judy are on the news!  Newly released video of the Bellwether confession!”  Everyone, including Stu and Bonnie filed into the den.  Judy came around from the side to see a familiar scene emblazoned on the screen.  Security camera footage.  Of the museum.  Over a deep recessed diorama.  Oh no.  Not that.  She had not told her family about exactly how they tricked the sheep into confessing.  The whole day was in a death spiral!  A voice from the TV blared as Eddie had turned it up.

 

“There’s no audio in this video, it’s just security feed from the museum the night of the bust.  This is the location where it all went down.”  The voice of Fabienne Growley, the snow leopard newscaster for ZNN, voiced over the moment.  Judy bolted in front of the screen.

 

“Oh _hey_ , you all know this part already, no reason to have to sit through it; it’s not that exciting, just technical stuff.”  She grinned wide, ears back, one foot thumping.  Nick looked utterly confused.  Judy had told him that she omitted some of the less bunny-friendly details in the telling to her parents but she had not really informed him how much she had omitted. 

 

Her father rose his voice.  “Judy for crying out loud, move, we can’t see.  It’s been under wraps for over a year, we finally get to see the video!  Get down!”  The snow leopard’s voice chimed in as Judy was pulled back physically by Angela, the only one there who likely could have managed it other than Nick.  “The two officers appear at the top middle of your screen there and run alongside the pit, pursued by what looks to be another officer but who is in fact a co-conspirator.  Young viewers or those who are sensitive may wish to stop watching at this time.”

 

“They have to say that for nearly every video Judy appears in, have you guys noticed that?” Jessie laughed.  Sure enough, there was Nick and Judy, running for their lives on screen.

 

“Nooooo…” the bunny cop groaned, making a swipe at the TV remote in Eddie’s hand and only managing to knock it on the floor and causing the battery casing to pop off and both batteries to pop out.  Of course.  She watched as Nick came into clearer view carrying her under his arm.

 

“What, why’s he carrying you like that?” Charlie asked.

 

“Her leg was injured.” Stu said, right as the ram connected with Nick and both flew hard into the middle of the pit, causing a cry of distress from all family members.  Nick had seen this video evidence dozens and dozens of times, and seemed at a loss as to why Judy was so emotional about it.  She had kind of mentioned when he was telling his mom about this that she had glossed over things with her parent, he must not have remembered.  He then began to look more concerned as he realized this, perhaps.

 

“This was some of the most convincing evidence for the jury.” The elegant apex predator’s voice cut in again.  “The weapon she holds is supposedly loaded with the Nighthowler serum, and Bellwether is clearly seen shortly using the weapon.  We have overlapped the audio evidence which was also released with roughly the timing of the video.”  The somewhat grainy carrot pen recording of Judy’s voice cut in.

 

“What are you going to do, kill me?” she asked, breathless.  She cupped her muzzle.  Her family was glued.  They could not look away.  This was it.  This was a recording of the big thing.  She didn’t fib; she just… left a little bit of this out.

 

“No.  He is.”  The sheep pulls the weapon out from behind her case and plinks Nick.  The sharp sound of it and the impact of the ammunition were both audible in the recording.  The Hopps family all cried out.

 

“Holy crap, no way.” Angela said in a wavering tone as Nick went down, actually looking with concern at the fox.  Nick watched expressionless.  “They _shot_ you?” Angela asked with worry.

 

“I got better.” Nick said with a grin.  Judy gritted her teeth.  Not funny.  She could not interject, however, as the video continued to play, her dad shushing everyone.  Nick’s terrible snarling was audible, widening the space between him and the other members of the family just a bit.  His posture, his eyes, his showing teeth, he played the part so well because he had been one of very few mammals to see the effect of the Nighthowler first hand.  The recording of Judy talking, and Bellwether taunting the bunny played, but it didn’t seem that was what everyone was focused on.  Nick’s acting was very, very convincing and Growley had not made it clear that the switch had been done.  It was likely for drama’s sake, even though it was known that Dawn Bellwether had been tricked by the officers.  It was only coming out then just how that was done. On the screen, Nick began to stalk Judy.

 

“Uh, Judy, you might have left a little bit of this out.” Bonnie said frankly.

 

“I was not supposed to share all the details.” She stated honestly.  She could have, at least more recently, but she certainly had not wanted to.

 

“This was important detail.” Stu said as Nick bolted for his daughter.  A loud cry erupted from nearly every bunny in the room as Nick obliterated a stuffed deer that Judy pitched at him.

 

“My mouth still feels funny every time I see it.” He added.

 

“Oh please no…” Judy half whispered at his attempt to joke.

 

“I’d be running up the damn walls.” Angela said in a horrified tone.

 

“She can’t, her leg’s torn up.” Charlie reminded.

 

“Oh crap, Judy I am so sorry.  I can’t believe your heart didn’t just… explode.” The black bunny whispered.  Stu shushed her anyway.  She grumped but refocused as Nick slunk through the tall grass toward the injured rabbit.  Judy’s eyes darted to each of her family members.  This was not the introduction she wanted for them to Nick.  The first day of fox and bunny holiday was now officially a complete disaster.

 

“Wait, that monster, she’s gonna just watch Nick murder her?  She’s gonna really stand there and _watch_?” Stu whined, actually near tears.  It had not been so widely released how violent Bellwether had actually been.

 

“Well, see, it’s not-“ Judy tried to diffuse it but she wasn’t fast enough.  If she could just remind them that the weapon was compromised, that Nick was faking it, but she misjudged how much time from ‘Bye-bye bunny’ she had.

 

“No!” cried Stu and Bonnie, flinching as Nick lunged at Judy and caught her slender, graceful neck in his dangerous jaws, teeth bared in a horrible snarl.  The scream caused all the rabbits to jump.  Judy held her face.  She was going to be in so much trouble for this.  A short pause, and then…

 

“Blood blood!  Annnnd.. death…”  Judy’s voice was still recording, but then stopped, as nick backed up, smiling.

 

“What?” asked Stu, visibly shaking.  Growley’s voice resumed.

 

“Nicolas Wilde, not an officer at the time this occurred, had only been pretending to become savage from the serum, as he and officer Hopps had switched out the pellet for a blueberry.  This was in order for Hopps to record the confession you just heard from Bellwether.”  The view of Bellwether being arrested was what came next though there was no audio.  Bonnie huffed in exasperation.

 

“Judy, you said you two had sabotaged her, you didn’t say Nick had to pretend to go savage, you made us think that’s what we were seeing!  You scared us _half to death_!”

 

“Mom, you know I survived, I’m right _here_!” Judy complained.  Angela laughed, but there was some nervousness in it.  That got Charlie’s attention.

 

“Wow, even you were rattled by that?  And Judy there actually was there!” Charlie laughed.  “Guess she takes your trophy of bad-ass, huh?” asked the largest of the lapines present.  Frankie and Eddie were still speechless, staring at Judy.  Angela waved a hand, inhaling deeply as if she’d been holding her breath.

 

“Okay, yeah, Judy, I will give you that.” The black doe said uneasily.  “I don’t know how I would have reacted in that pit, with all that going on, even if I knew he was faking, did you see the deer?  Holy crap.  I can’t imagine being stalked around the place after seeing that kind of damage, wow…” she inhaled deeply.  Nick’s voice joined the conversation, his smug, confident attitude back in place, walling off however he was feeling about having to be present for that reveal to the Hopps family.  He spoke confidently,

 

“You won’t have to imagine it tomorrow; you will experience the thrill of being chased by the real thing!” Nick chimed.  Judy widened her eyes, as did Angela.  The younger, athletic doe’s ears fell back.  Judy could count on one hand all the times she’d ever seen Angela wiggle her nose like that.  Her pupils drew to points as she realized what Nick was referring to.  Charlie stepped in, laughing a bit.

 

“Hey, but that was all an act.  Bellwether was fooled but we know you’re the kind of fox that you really are.  You go out there every day and put up with Judy’s crap and get right back up and do it again the next morning.  Makes you family in my book!” he threw an arm around Nick, shaking the fox a bit who had looked a little worried at Angela’s horrified expression, perhaps realizing he overestimated her bravado and teased too hard.  Judy felt some of the tension bleed out of her, but her mom seemed focused on Charlie.  Why?  Oh.  Judy knew why.  He called Nick family.  Those violet doe eyes tracked back to her eldest daughter.  Judy grinned weakly.  Nick spoke up.

 

“Hey, Charlie, since I get the impression you are gonna be instrumental in setting up tomorrow’s game, can I have your ear for a bit on some details?  I have an idea…”  He led Charlie who strode willingly out to the back with Nick.  Judy moved to join them and was cut off by her mom.

 

“Oh no you don’t, missy.  You could have explained that to us way sooner!” she scolded Judy.  At least it wasn’t about dating.  She sighed and looked up to her mom, and then carefully explained some of the other dangerous bits that she left out from the investigation, her dad, and most certainly her other sister and brother listening in as she worried more and more what her partner could possibly be up to with Charlie.  Exasperated, Judy pulled her ears back in her hands, gritting her teeth.  She explained in careful detail so she would not be accused of hiding things now that she was in the clear to tell all of it, and the expressions on her mother and father’s face were a clear indication that they were under the impression that the whole thing, even before she had come home in disgrace, had not been nearly as dangerous as it turned out to be. 

 

It took some time to explain all the details that she knew she glossed over, and some of them she knew she could not even really blame on the investigation, but out they had to come, or they would be on her ears the rest of her stay and it would make for a lot less relaxing atmosphere.  This was her mess, the fox didn’t deserve to see the strife of that.  She gave up all the details for a good fifteen or twenty minutes, mostly abridging the story and expanding on details they had not heard yet until the part they had just been allowed to see on video.

 

After a bit of a pause, her father spoke up with a sigh.  “Why did you keep all of this a secret, Judy?  We are your family, we would want to know.  We _need_ to know.  At least your mom and me.” He said with a bit of disappointment in his voice.

 

“Dad, I told you, there were parts that I could not talk about because IA would have eaten me alive if it got out and it could have jeopardized the case against Bellwether.  There’s a reason it took over a year for this stuff to be made public.  They just finished the last of the trials.”  She was being honest about that part at least.  Her mom inhaled deeply and then spoke in a scolding tone at Judy.

 

“But, a run in with a crime syndicate?  Being chased by a savage jaguar?  Falling hundreds of feet only to be saved by vines?  A hundred foot drop into a reservoir after flushing yourselves down a toilet?!  _Crashing an explosive train car full of Nighthowler serum?!_ ”  Her mom was justifiably upset, and Judy could not deny her that.  The guilty doe sighed.

 

“It happened, okay?  All just like I clarified, Nick was there, he can corroborate it.  It was scary, it was dangerous, but that’s my job, mom.  That’s what I do.  You watched me get thrown through a window into a burning house.  It usually isn’t stuff that dangerous, sure, but when the time comes, I have to be ready to do it.  It’s what I’m trained for.”  She did not want to have the same conversation with her parents that she had when they called her in the hospital when they were putting stitches in her leg.  The news showed Judy being helped out of the museum with an obvious injury and her parents had gone nuts over it.  They wanted her to come home since she was not officially an officer at that point, but Judy had already made up her mind that she needed to be in order to help clean up the mess she made.  There had been no talking her out of it and her family had _not_ been happy with her decision.  Until now, they had started to warm up to it a little.  Her mom spoke.

 

“Okay, I know that most of the time you are writing tickets, helping people, looking for lost cubs, all that stuff, but please don’t deny us the right to worry about our daughter, okay Judy?  Your job is being a cop, I get that, I respect it, but my job is being a mom.  I don’t want you to hide things from me if you don’t have to.  I will worry far more if you do, understand?” she asked.  Judy sighed, a bit crestfallen.  Her parents would not enjoy always knowing the details of her work, she was sure, but she nodded sullenly. 

 

“Okay, but understand, sometimes I don’t want you to worry over things I know are not as dangerous or scary as they sound.  At least, they are not for me.  And I want you to remember I am not alone in the city.  I have the entire ZPD there and all of them care for me.  No one wants to see me get hurt so I am not going to be intentionally sent into a dangerous situation alone.  The stuff with Bellwether was dangerous because I did it without the ZPD.  It’s not like that now, okay?”  Her mother’s expression softened a bit at that.

 

“I know…  I will try to explain that to your father too.”  Judy looked at her dad who appeared to be a little in shock rather than angry.  He was starting at the TV screen even though the news had moved on from that story.  Judy hoped that there would not be a lot of additional public attention for her and her partner over that.  She had forgotten how alarming that video might seem to someone who had no idea what actually happened.  Judy sat down on the couch, deciding to wait for Nick to come back with her brother.  She was at least glad that her partner was not so overwhelmed by the new people that he was being antisocial.  Still, she knew Nick’s personality; he was not really shy about talking to new people, not in his former dealings with the public at least.  As long as he kept his smugness to a minimum around Angela he’d probably be fine.  Angela had gone into the kitchen, likely to fix a snack.  Jessie had gone with her.  Frankie sat on the other side of the couch with Eddie, just watching the news.  Most of it was about events coming up locally at that point. 

 

“You also have Nick to help take care of you in the city too, on and off duty, and that’s a comfort too, right?  He’s not going to let anything happen to you, you’re special to him.” Bonnie offered softly, obviously intending it for only her nearest daughter to hear.  Judy’s heart kicked against her ribs again.  So tenacious!  Her mother was not at all one to give up.

 

“No, I don’t think Nick would make a very good partner for anyone else.” Judy said, rolling her eyes.  “He’s too much of a jokester and far too unorthodox to enjoy that.” She chuckled.

 

“You two were kind of meant for each other at partners, it seems.” Her mother asked.  Judy flattened her ears.  Was she _trying_ to set her up with Nick? 

 

“Maybe.” Judy stated casually.  “I mean, I guess it may just be a comfort thing.  I didn’t have a partner from the start, and Nick was the first mammal I worked with on any case so we might have just gotten used to each other, and while we had a rocky start, he’s got a great heart, and deep down he’s reliable.  Do you not like me having Nick as my partner, Mom?  I’m trying to figure out why you’ve been asking about him.” asked Judy.  It was time to get this out of the way.  At l east asking like this made it seem Judy was not even aware of what direction Bonnie was coming from.

 

“What?  Oh no…  No…”  She paused a moment, looking side to side as if suddenly she were the guilty one.  “Well… I mean, it’s just… Someone who doesn’t know you or Nick very well seeing you together might think you were closer than friends generally are.”  She looked at Judy with concern.  The bunny had not had much time to think, but she felt she knew at least what she needed to say.  She could be honest and not mislead her mother at least, even if it did not clear things up entirely.

 

“What do _you_ think though, Mom?” Judy asked.  Bonnie looked a little stunned, put on the spot like that.  She looked down, then back up, talking more quietly so the others wouldn’t hear.

 

“Honestly?”  she asked. “I think I see it a little different now, knowing what you put that poor fox through.  But I would say you care for him a great deal.”  Judy looked blankly at her mother and spoke abruptly.

 

“You would be right.”  She heard herself say it and it was what she meant and somehow it seemed so open to misinterpretation.  Her mom’s eyes narrow, shrewd.  Judy clarified, “Nick is my best friend.  The best I have ever had and I would suffer terribly if he were suddenly gone.  I’m not afraid of how much he matters to me.  Maybe I should be, but I’m not.  You should not worry about it either.” She stated.  That was not an answer to her mother’s real question, but it was the truth.  Her mother seemed to finally reach her limit of interrogation.

 

“Are you dating?” her mother finally asked.

 

“Hey Judy!  I’m gonna take Nick out in the truck to see in town and out by the lake, wanna come?” called Charlie.

 

“No, wait!” her mother pleaded.

 

“That sounds great!” Judy cried happily, inwardly about to die laughing.  She bolted for the door to join her brother and her partner.  Angela called out from the kitchen.

 

“I wanna go too!  I need to pick up some things!”  She scrambled across the living room, leaving Bonnie with a very stunned face, arms crossed, ears down.  She was not amused.  Judy got out that door as if on rocket skates!


	6. Beverage

**Guardian Blue: Season One**

Episode 6:  Beverage

 

 

 Getting out of the house was exactly what Judy needed.  It seemed the longer they stayed, the more trouble everyone seemed to be getting into.  The trip to town represented another new experience for Nick that Judy had not really considered.  He had never ridden in the back of a truck.  In front Charlie and Angela were belted in, and that left Judy to share the unknown with her partner.  At first, he clutched both sides of the bed of the truck for dear life, eyes wide at every pitch and shift in weight around corners and stopping and starting, but he began to relax after a while, vocalizing his nervousness instead of looking on the verge of panic. 

 

“Is this even legal?” Nick asked, obviously going through traffic law in his head as he leaned back against the cab.  Judy sat across from him, legs crossed, hand just holding one side of the bed casually.

 

“It is in the tri-burrows, but certainly not inside the city limits.  Things are a little different out here.” She laughed warmly.

 

“It’s kind of fun once you get around the idea that a mild fender-bender would subtract one fox and one bunny from the city’s tax record.” He offered.  Judy took that in stride.  She was enjoying adding something new to his life experiences.  The truck picked up speed once it got on the farm to market road and headed toward town.  The roar of wind was loud enough that talking didn’t feel useful and Nick turned to look around the side of the cab.  As he did that, he got the full force of wind in his face.  Judy watched with a smirk as he did what she had seen so many mammals do when in that position.  He leaned into the wind, unable to keep himself from entertaining the inevitable.  It was entertaining to watch him in that position because she always figured Nick would be too calm and collected to give in to what she felt was a pretty base and instinctual enjoyment.  He held himself like that for at least four miles, unmoving, ears back in the wind, a grin spread on his face of selfish elation.  Quietly, Judy took a couple more pictures of Nick enjoying himself in the back of the truck.  His mom would like these.

 

The road was a little less bumpy as they got into town proper, and finally they pulled into a parking spot at the post office.  Judy jumped out, Nick carefully climbed out.  Charlie and Angela got out and headed up the steps to the post office.

 

“I have to run in real quick, you can take Nick over to see Sammie, she will definitely want to meet him.  I will meet you over at The Mill, we can have some sodas and then show Nick ‘The Rope’.”  He headed on in.  Angela moved the opposite way down the sidewalk. 

 

“I gotta grab some stuff from the pharmacy, I will be at the Mill too.” The black doe waved as she headed over.  Nick stood still a moment, seeming to be almost in a daze.  Judy looked at him a bit and then waved a small hand in front of his muzzle.  He seemed to snap out of it.

 

“You know, I’ve made fun of a couple of my friends who do that, but I’ve never done it myself.  That was … I can’t make fun of them anymore.” He admitted.

 

“What’s the deal with that anyway?  It drives me nuts, I can’t stand wind in my face.”  She shrugged a bit.  Nick answered.

 

“It’s kind of like… I don’t know.  With my sense of smell, I’m used to how stuff smells, right?  But it’s like listening to just one singer at a time of one sort or another all your life, and then someone puts headphones on you and lets you listen to an incredible, epic chorus, perfectly in tune and harmonizing.  I can’t think of another way to describe that.” He inhaled deeply.  “So wait, ummm… What’s the Mill, who is Sammie, and why is The Rope apparently my final destination?”  Judy smirked at the fox.  He had been paying attention at least; it just took him a moment to catch up. 

 

“Sammie’s one of my sisters, she works for the county.”  Judy led Nick a few buildings down, not answering his other questions yet.  Just before they got to the three story grey brick building they were making a beeline for, a couple of older bunnies stopped them on the sidewalk.

 

“Judy!  Judy, it’s you, it’s good to see you in town!” the male stated, holding the hand of the lady he was with.  Both hugged Judy.

 

“Hey, Emory, this is my partner, Nick!” she chirped brightly.  Nick held stark still as both bunnies hugged him too.  The younger doe rubbed an ear thoughtfully.  She perhaps should have warned the fox that around here hugs were doled out more than hand-shaking, particularly given that Nick endeared himself by way of heroics earlier in the day.  He was obviously anxious about it, but didn’t seem put off.  Emory spoke up.

 

“We heard all about the house fire, Judy.  That was some divine luck that you and your partner showed up when ye did.  Doc Tuber shore woulda’ been nothin’ without the little ‘uns, I bet.  We’d have gone ahead and had him a box made.”  Emory shook his head slowly. 

 

“I’m glad that wasn’t how it ended.  I don’t even want to think that.  Nick and I are heading in to see my sister, hopefully I can catch up with you and Amy soon.  Been a hectic day.”  Judy nodded at that.  The lady rabbit, Amy apparently, hugged Judy again and kissed her cheek, and the two strode on down the sidewalk.  Nick watched quietly before falling into step beside Judy as they walked into the door of the building which appeared to be a rather simple court building, certainly tame by comparison to what the pair were used to in Zootopia.

 

“Looks like you are the one who knows everyone here.” The fox laughed warmly.

 

“Indeed!  Nice for a change!” Judy bounced a bit. Nick looked about, seeming to recognize what kind of place this was, particularly with a deer deputy sitting casually at the front desk.

 

“So hey, I thought you were the only one in law enforcement in your family, your sister works here?” the russet vulpine asked.

 

“Well, she does, but not in law enforcement.  Is Sammie here?” asked Judy, looking to the deputy.  The hare nodded and gestured over his shoulder.

 

“In her office, she just got back from lunch.” He said in a bored tone.  He did not seem the least bit interested in meeting Nick, and Judy did not mind.  He was not the friendliest sort, always self-absorbed in either whatever duty he was on, or whatever misery he had at home from what she could understand.  The doe led Nick into the office as indicated and found her sister typing away at her computer.  She didn’t notice the company right away which was helpful since Nick actually had time to hide his look of surprise.  The white bunny at the desk, padded in her form, soft and warm, about as tall as Judy, was albino, red eyes gleaming behind her glasses as she typed. 

 

It was not that rare a genetic occurrence, but happened considerably less from what she had seen with predators, perhaps just because there were ten times fewer of them.  She perked up at seeing Judy finally, and then stood hastily at seeing Nick.

 

“Judy!  You brought him!  Oh I’m so happy to see you!”  She threw her arms around Judy, and then did the same for Nick.  She was scented heavily of vanilla fur-shampoo so that was likely a bit overwhelming for her partner, Judy thought, but she had been the one who wanted to meet Nick the most.  Judy was glad to get to bring him by for her to see.  Most of her siblings had originally shown some trepidation about Judy being partnered with a fox, but softened when it became clear it was what Judy wanted, not what was forced.  Sammie however had always been happy that Nick was a fox, saying that the difference in point of view would be good for Judy.  She seemed to linger on the huge on Nick for longer than Judy which puzzled the grey doe.  The fox looked a little uncomfortable with the hug, arms down at his side and taking it like a champ though.  She released him finally and he flagged his tail about, seeming to notice at the same time as Judy that Sammie focused on it attentively.  He let it drop to the floor behind him.

 

“So, you are Sammie.  What is it you do here Sammie?” Nick asked, obviously trying to get her attention.  Her appearance was on its own a little distracting to him, Judy was sure, but she had also not warned Nick that Sammie was a little bit socially awkward too, particularly around males.  She hoped this was not terribly uncomfortable for her partner.

 

“I’m a counselor.” She nodded, seeming to snap back into a more normal mindset when the discussion of work came up.  “I help out accident victims, children, and help with work placement for repeat offenders, troubled folks.” She nodded.

 

“Oh!  So while law enforcement is Judy’s thing, psychology is more your focus, that’s cool!” Nick seemed to genuinely mean that, and Sammie flopped her ears down her back, pulling them over her shoulders and putting them together under her chin bashfully.

 

“Thank you!  Judy told me all about you.  I’m glad I get to see you in the fur.  I will try to come over tomorrow for a bit, but I have seven reports due by Monday that I put off too long.  I’ll try though.”  She smiled warmly.

 

“We are gonna be playing a game of Munch tomorrow morning.” Nick confessed.  Judy widened her eyes.  She really had tried to put that out of her mind, but hearing it again only made it more real.  The white bunny widened her red eyes so much more than Judy.

 

“That… sounds like something a fox would not enjoy very much.” She offered candidly.  “Doesn’t it seem a little insulting to you?” she asked.

 

“Only if I lose.” Nick laughed.

 

“So, are you going to be… you know… the fox?” she asked, seeming to feel embarrassed as Judy was for it.

 

“That’s the plan.” Nick said with a smile.  He really did not seem to question it.  Sammie seemed very confused a moment and then looked at her reports.

 

“I will definitely be there to watch you play then, Mr. Wilde.  I am interested in seeing how different the game’s dynamics will be with a real fox on the field.”  Judy inwardly rolled her eyes.  Of course Sammie was interested in the psychological aspects of it.

 

“That’s partly why I wanted to play.  It seems like foxes usually don’t, and it would be a neat experience for everyone else playing.”  He nodded, swaying his tail to increase the appearance of relaxation and comfort.

 

“We are gonna head over to The Mill.” Judy stated, trying to steer the conversation away from where she knew it was going.  “Gotta meet Angela and Charlie, they will be there.”

 

“Okay!  It was very nice seeing you both, and lovely to meet you, Mr. Wilde.”

 

“Nick is fine.” Judy corrected.

 

“He is.” Sammie stated, looking at his tail again, seeming utterly distracted.  Nick’s eyes widened, ears falling back.  Judy’s jaw went slack, and she took Nick by the tie and led him out, not saying another word.  Not a word was said until they were outside on the sidewalk, heading back the other way toward their next destination.  After a little while of letting her partner look at the quaint small town Main Street feel of the place, she finally spoke up.

 

“I am so sorry about that, Nick.” She had not expected that particular response from her sometimes awkward sister.

 

“Huh?  Oh, Sammie?  She’s into fluffy tails I take it?” he asked in a teasing fashion.

 

“I don’t know, I…. She’s always been a little…  um…”  Judy didn’t want to call her sister weird.  “… Maybe eccentric?  In college she would try to run around with odd groups and fit in, and it never really worked out, but now that I think about it, her friends were not usually bunnies there, so maybe I just never realized what she liked.  She’s not reckless or anything, Nick, she just… being albino she doesn’t have a lot of social... practice.” Judy tried to explain.  She could not blame Sammie for liking Nick’s tail though.  It could be distracting and Judy felt it was probably because of how different it was from a bunny’s tail.

 

“Oh, I’m not offended by it, it’s certainly a warmer reception by your family than I was expecting.  So far everyone’s been really nice to me.  I’m having a good time meeting everyone.”  Judy’s spirits lifted immediately.  She then arched up a bit.

 

“Don’t you tease her though, you promise?  She’s very sweet and kind and shy.”  Judy immediately felt protective as she realized that Nick actually was not bothered by it.

 

“I would never.  Your sister is safe, Judy.  Sweet and kind and shy don’t do it for me.”  He laughed as Judy hip bumped him to turn on the sidewalk. They walked another block and stopped at a wooden shed-like building with music coming from it.  The sign on the front said “The Mill” and had there was a huge water wheel turning alongside it.

 

“Here we go.  A quick treat and then we can head out to a fun spot before we head home for dinner.  I hope you are not getting winded by all this, Nick, I know I said it was going to be mostly being lazy.” She murmured. 

 

“Oh, it’s a bar kind of place, cool!  That makes more sense, I figured I was gonna get put to work or something.” He laughed.  Judy gently kicked the back of Nick’s leg as he padded to the door.  They went in, finding the folk music loud enough to feel festive but not jarring like music in clubs in the city tended to be.  Judy found Charlie and Angela both seated, drinking soda.  Nick got pineapple juice on ice which Judy found an odd thing for him to want, but he seemed to savor it, so she marked that in memory for lunch treats.

 

“Did you meet up with Sammie?  She getting more comfy in her job?” asked Angela.

 

“She is, though she was pretty stoked to see me, so she will probably be distracted from it all day now.” Judy laughed.  She opted not to tell her about the white bunny’s reaction to her partner, since she wanted to just put that awkwardness out of her mind.

 

“Did you get the thing taken care of?” asked Nick, looking at Charlie.

 

“What thing?” Judy asked, suddenly remembering that her brother and partner went missing a few moments earlier in the day.  Her own lime soda arrived and was promptly ignored.

 

“I got it taken care of.  And nothing at all, nosey officer Hopps.” Charlie laughed to Judy.

 

“I’m gonna start tying ears in knots if people don’t start talking.” Judy growled.

 

“Hey Charlie, did anyone ever tell you about the Mystic Spring Oasis?” asked Nick.

 

“No!” Judy barked loudly, slapping her small hands on the table, almost upending her own soda.

 

“Now see, no one ever said a thing about any such place, I am so interested.” Charlie stated, resting his cheek on his hand.

 

“I vote Mystic Spring Oasis.” Angela laughed.

 

“Judy, I will get to the thing you wanted to know, but the votes imply I should tell my story first.” Nick gave his usual power-smug grin.  Angela rested her chin on both turned up palms, her elbows on the table.  Judy’s eyes darted around the room.  She could set fire to something, or she could run for the door, or something.  Bargaining.  That was the answer.

 

“If you happen to forget what you were talking about, I might be able to pick up some blueberry tarts from Gideon before the match tomorrow.” Judy offered, grimacing.  Nick seemed pleased.

 

“Oh… gosh I remember it was a place we went.  We went there together, but… gosh it’s fading.  Maybe I will remember when I am not so famished.” The cruel vulpine crooned.  Angela laughed.

 

“Oh, I am gonna find out that story one way or another.” She laughed.  “Tell you what…  If I tag your tail at least one time during tomorrow’s match, you get your memory back.”  Nick looked at the panicked expression on his partner’s face and then looked back to her smirking ebon-furred sister.

 

“Deal.  One tag gets you one story.”  Angela jumped up, fist pumping.

 

“Yeah!  The truth will be known!”  Judy guzzled her drink aggressively, then stifled a belch, causing the lime-heavy carbonation to burn her nostrils agonizingly.  She pinched the corners of her eyes.  She thought she would have so much control of things.  It was supposed to be just showing the fox around, saying hi to people, resting, taking pictures. When did it get so crazy?

 

“Ready for the Rope, Nick?” Charlie asked.  Nick downed his drink quickly, putting a five on the counter for it.

 

“I’m still worried about what that means for me, but yeah, let’s do it!”  Judy’s anxiousness softened a bit.  She sighed and finished the little bit of her drink left.  He did seem to really be enjoying himself; she rarely got to see him have fun doing anything but watching movies or playing cards so it was good to see him out and doing new things.  She followed her brother and sister and partner out and they all piled back in the truck. 

 

Nick did not hesitate to put his head out by the side of the cab again, making for zero conversation, but it let Judy digest the afternoon a bit as the truck headed to another familiar spot close to her heart.  Her mother would still be trying to figure out how close she was to Nick when she got home and she still had no idea how to prove she was only a friend.  She didn’t want to embarrass Nick and ask him for help on that, and she didn’t want to get any of her other sisters involved.  She could just say no and deal with her mom thinking she was hiding it until she figured out on her own that was not happening, but then, would she have to treat Nick differently while he was there?  Would he notice if she kept her distance more?  Would it bother him?  Surely it wouldn’t.  Judy decided to just try that, closing her eyes and enjoying the roar of the wind in the back of the truck.

 

After about five miles, they arrived at a dirt road and Nick had to hold on a lot tighter as the truck navigated the narrow uneven lane.  It was less than a mile down that before they stopped the small truck and got out.  The lane was forested on either side.  Judy led Nick along behind her brother and sister.  The fox actually looked very nervous.  Surely he didn’t think he was actually going to be harmed by Judy or her family.  Judy took his hand and he looked down at her.

 

“It’s okay Nick.  This is a place we all used to come and have fun, spending our ‘simple country days’. This is where we came to play.”  She looked encouragingly to her partner.  His expression softened.

 

“I know, it just… feels so remote.  I don’t think I have ever been this far away from… everything.” Nick stated.  Judy’s brother spoke up.

 

“Really?  This is nothing.  We should take you camping down in south Deerbrook some time.  That’s the sticks!” Charlie laughed.  As they cleared a wooded hill, Judy watched Nick look out over a shallow grassy valley at the bottom of a steep cliff.  The valley seemed like it might have been a dry river bed.  Judy nodded at a long outcropping along that cliff where a huge tree stood, upon which hung a long white rope with several knots tied into it.

 

“Woah… You guys came here to _play_?” Nick asked incredulously.  “Like… as kids, alone?”  he looked down over the side of the cliff.  It was about a twenty to thirty foot drop.  The ground looked a little strange, uneven and lumpy.

 

“Indeed.  Almost every day sometimes.”  Judy moved over to the rope.

 

“It’s new, we replaced it last winter.” Angela said.  “Dad’s always worried about it, but it’s good.”  Judy grinned at Nick and then pulled the rope out more and more, backing along the edge of the cliff until she was at about a 90 degree angle from the direction the tree was facing.  She then backed up about fifteen yards, pulling the rope tight, holding it about the third knot up.  Nick spoke nervously.

 

“What are you doing?  Whatever you are thinking, you don’t have to impress m-“  Judy bolted, running full speed for the cliff, keeping the rope taught.  Nick cried out as Judy flung herself off the edge.  “Are you insane?!” he cried as the natural pull of the rope carried her in a half-moon arc over the valley below, wind over her whole body as she ended up on the other side, opposite the outcrop, landing in a place that she had been landing since she was a kit.  So many times she had done it, and somehow it felt more amazing to do it in front of the horrified fox.  She flicked the rope outward and Angela gathered it up.  Nick remained where Judy had launched from, looking down at the ground below.  Angela handed Nick the rope.

 

“Your turn.  Rite of passage, foxy.”  She held the rope out to him.

 

“Fluff, how many brothers and sisters did you _originally_ have?” Nick asked in a weighted fashion, clutching the rope limply.

 

“Oh don’t be dramatic, Nick, not very many of us die this way!” Judy laughed.  “Just go for it, you’ll be fine!  I’ve done it like… thousands of times!”  She jogged along the path that led back to her partner.  He stood staring at the rope, seeming transfixed a moment.

 

“Come on, you gotta be at least as cool as a doe, Nick!” Charlie teased.  Angela punched his arm, making him laugh harder as he rubbed it.  Judy then let her ears fall as she looked at Nick.  His expression was hard to read, but it was intense.  Was he really afraid?  She didn’t think he would be, not with all the things he had done during training.  She didn’t want to shame him into doing it if he really was afraid.  She put a hand on his arm, and he looked up, eyes wide.

 

“Hey, you okay?  You don’t have to if you really don’t want to.  It’s just a lot of fun.  It’s a powerful memory from my childhood, so I wanted to share it.”  She wanted to give him an out.  He wasn’t that sentimental, he didn’t have to participate.  She hoped Angela would not antagonize him.

 

“I have to do this, Fluff.” Nick said softly, looking a bit lost.

 

“Nah, it’s okay, you don’t really, but you are gonna be stuck watching us throw ourselves out there for a bit, I’m not leaving without some rope swinging.” Charlie laughed. 

 

“Shh shh shh…”  Nick held a hand up, silencing the laughter.  “You don’t understand… It’s a bigger deal to me than you think.”  He looked to Judy, then to Charlie and Angela who seemed confused. 

 

“What’s up, Nick?” Judy sked softly.

 

“Judy, do you remember when we were being chased by Manchas in the rain forest district?” he asked.  His use of her name got her full attention again.  He was being serious.

 

"Manchas?" asked Angela.

 

"A jaguar who went savage when Nick was helping me at the beginning." Judy clarified.

 

“And he’s afraid of a rope swing?” asked Charlie.

 

“Shush.” Angela stated firmly.

 

“Yes, I remember.  That was dicey.” She confessed.

 

“We went off the edge of the gondola platform, how far do you think it was to the ground from there?” the fox asked, holding the rope in his hands, stroking it as if it were alive.

 

“I dunno… A thousand feet, maybe more?  That drop there’s only like.. twenty or thirty.”  She looked down in the shallow valley.

 

“I know this is going to sound sentimental, even to a bunny, but that was when my life changed.  You saved my life, do you remember?” he asked.

 

“Of course I remember.” The grey doe half-whispered, a little unsure where Nick was going with this so suddenly, especially right in front of her siblings.  Her ears burned.

 

“Ca-… Judy, I wondered after that… So many times I wondered…  When we were on that vine a thousand feet up, and I held onto your hand for dear life… I wondered how you had the strength to hold a fox, and then throw us both to safety.”  He looked up into her amethyst eyes, his own shining with intensity as he held up the rope.  “And here it is.  This is where your strength came from.  Thousands of times you have swung on this rope and if you hadn’t…”  Judy covered her muzzle as she realized Nick was staggered by a little bit of an existential moment. 

 

“Woah…” Charlie mouthed softly.

 

“That’s some kind of heavy, Judy.  And there he is holding the rope he probably would not exist without.  That’s spooky.” Angela admitted.

 

“Back up, everyone.  I… I’m gonna do it.”  Nick gripped the rope a little further up and moved back as Judy had done.

 

“Hell yeah!” Angela yelled.

 

“Keep the rope tight, let your momentum do all the work, and you’ll be fine.” Judy explained.  Nick nodded and she backed up a bit, feeling her heart hammering in her chest.  She knew how he felt.  She knew how strange the connection to that moment, and that place suddenly was.  Nick belonged there, in that moment.  He had to do this to complete the cycle. The quick slightly heavier footfalls of the fox announced his charge and he did not slow or falter, hurling himself forward from the cliff and gritting his teeth as he sailed around the half-moon arc in front of the outcropping.  He pulled himself up a bit suddenly near the end as he was taller and would not clear the landing otherwise, but this pitched him backwards slightly, so his landing was far from graceful.  With soft thumping he tumbled to a stop in the leaves, laughing.

 

“Wooo!  That was a blast!  I have got to do that again!” Nick cried.  Judy jumped up, pumping her arm for her partner, her sister and brother cheering for him too.

 

The next hour went in a blur of laughing, joking, teasing, swinging, it felt like she was a kit again, but this time, she got to share a little bit of her childhood with her partner.  It felt whole.  It felt wonderful to Judy in a way she could not really express to herself, but nothing felt more right.  He really did feel like he belonged there in that moment, with her family.  Morning gave way to afternoon in light-hearted bliss.  She savored every moment of pitching herself out recklessly off a cliff, even being caught once by Nick on the other side who just wanted to startle her by being on the landing spot when she arrived.  She even did it once tandem with her partner, holding his shoulders as he barely made the landing with them both.  Judy took quite a few pictures on the sly for Vivienne as she knew the vixen might not believe he did this without them.  The scenery was beautiful and her partner seemed so full of life, she knew the vixen would love these images.  After about an hour, the fox noted that his hand was a bit sore, and Judy cringed, having almost forgotten about that so they decided it would be a good time to head home, get washed up and have dinner.  They did not want the family to worry about them after all. 

 

The trip back was uneventful and short since the Rope was closer to home than town was, and Nick spent it happily sucking wind in the back of the truck.  Judy felt highly content, and her hands burned a bit from the rope.  She thought a lot about what Nick had said.  He appreciated her childhood.  It felt good to realize it.  He gave it the care she never thought he would.  Coming here let him see what Judy was about, where she was from, little pieces of what made her who she was, and Nick was actually interested in it.  It was satisfying to her.  She was glad Charlie had thought to take him to the Rope as she might not have considered it herself.  The truck finally rumbled to a stop and everyone piled out, Nick even jumping this time.  They jogged up toward the porch, laughing, and Bonnie stood with her hands out as if she were going to bowl all of them flat.  Nick stopped dead and the others slowed down.

 

“Baby bunny sleeping.” The older doe hissed politely.  Nick nodded, sneaking up slowly toward the porch.  Judy smiled at how careful he was.  He didn’t have to be _that_ quiet, he just couldn’t go in laughing and shouting.  As he entered, he was greeted by another sister who had apparently arrived as they were out, Eli.  Eli had a one year old kit named Sandi who was obviously sleeping in the open nursery on the first floor.  The kit’s mother, a brown doe with solid black ears and hands and eyes violet like Judy, greeted Nick with a handshake, seeming a bit nervous about him, but that, Judy felt, was natural.  There _was_ still a natural tendency toward worry around foxes and she was a new mother with a baby sleeping helplessly in the other room.  It was not necessary for her to worry about Nick, but it was still completely natural.  Nick told Stu that he went to the Rope and Stu told Nick that he had done the rope when _he_ was a kit, so he was glad to see Nick got to try it out.  The fox did not explain the more sentimental nature of the experience, instead opting to ask if he could get something to drink because swinging an hour and then sucking wind had made him very thirsty.

 

“Sure, Nick, help yourself to whatever’s in the fridge, it’s all open to ya.”  He nodded.  Nick padded into the kitchen and Judy sat by Eli on the couch, fanning herself as she continued to try to cool down. 

 

“I saw the video on the news earlier, Judy.  That looked so scary.  I am glad you had all that training, I’d have just… Well, I’d be pushing up daisies, I swear.” Eli said, the talkative bunny immediately setting into that detail Judy had almost forgotten.  A lot of folks would likely be talking about it.

 

“Well, don’t forget, Nick’s my friend and it was a trick, I trust him.  It was not scary, having him track me around.  It was kind of fun.  It was like when we used to do stage plays when we were kids.” She explained.

 

“I guess so, Judy, but still, with that maniac sheep and her bigger friends standing there, it was so … evil.  She was watching.  It was horrible.” Eli stated. “I can’t imagine even getting to that point and still having my wits about me to come up with… come up with a…”  She was looking at Nick with slightly wide eyes.  Judy looked up as well to see why.  Was she afraid of him because of the video?  The parched fox had a bottle of milk turned up, polishing it off like a winded sports star, gulping it down eagerly.  Her family would usually not drink milk right from the bottle like that so manners left something to be desired, but he certainly didn’t look threatening like that.  She looked back to Eli who crossed her hands over her lap as she gazed at the fox.  He licked his muzzle and put the bottle carefully into the recycle box.

 

“Feel better?” Judy asked. 

 

“Yep!” Nick chimed sunnily, flicking his tail side to side merrily.  He was not overly conscious of the fact that he could knock things over with it that were placed lower on shelves in the bunny household since no one else had a tail that might knock things over but by some miracle he managed not to do that.

 

“How was it?” Eli asked with a blank expression.  Judy frowned.  Was she bothered at Nick drinking milk?  Bunnies drank it too.

 

“It was great!  It is a lot more expensive in the city, so I don’t get it often, but that must have been way fresher.  It was so sweet!  Milk in the city’s not that sweet.” Nick explained.

 

“I’ll bet it’s not.  You can’t get milk much fresher than that.” Eli said dryly.  Judy’s ears fell back.  No.  He didn’t.  It wasn’t!

 

“I’m gonna have to take a train out and get it from out here.  It’s worth it, I think.” He sat down by Judy, looking at Eli with a casual smile.  Judy cupped her hands over her muzzle.

 

“You won’t find the milk out here’s so different from the city stuff.  Not like that.” The brown doe stated in an even tone.

 

“That wasn’t!” Judy said with a slight whimper in her voice.

 

“What wasn’t?” asked Nick.

 

“He didn’t know!” Judy explained with some exasperation, her heart pounding faster.  Mere seconds in the house and things were back to crazy.  Eli didn’t seem mad.  Could she be mad?  Judy might be mad if it were her.  But he didn’t know!

 

“What are you talking about?  Was I not supposed to drink that?  Stu said it was okay.  Whatever in the fridge was open, he said!” Nick said defensively.

 

“Oh good heavens no… I didn’t even think Eli!” Stu said in shock.  Bonnie’s jaw hung low, the lapine matriarch utterly speechless.

 

“What?” Nick asked. 

 

“That was not regular milk, Nick.” Judy confessed, her heart sinking, hoping the fox was not about to freak out.  Her partner looked confused a moment longer, then looked toward the nursery door and back to Eli who was now openly staring at the fox, seeming very tense.  Judy gritted her teeth.  It was good that she wasn’t mad but that can’t have been a pleasant way to meet the fox either.  Nick’s ears folded back and his expression went from confused to horrified.

 

“That was… for the kit?” he asked, wilting.  Judy felt for Nick.  He had a soft spot for kits and taking food from one would not have set well with him.

 

“Yes.” Eli said softly, her emotions still unreadable, tension clearly in her voice as everyone watched the dramatic moment unfold.  Angela and Charlie had not said a word.  The brown doe continued to explain.  “I always pump extra while she’s napping in case Mom wants to jump in to do a feeding while I’m in the shower or something.”  Nick had connected the dots to realize he took the kit’s milk, but by how his expression became suddenly unreadably blank, Judy realized he had not completely considered the full implication.  It was bunny milk, not regular milk.

 

“I am so sorry, Eli.” Judy whimpered a bit, trying to get all the eyes off Nick.  Eli got up and carefully, quietly strode across the room.  Nick held still, closing his eyes, not moving, perhaps waiting for the gut shot or whatever he had coming to him, tongue slightly out, but she walked right past, out on the porch, into the yard.  Bonnie and Stu turned and watched her, before the sound of explosive laughter from outside greeted their ears, the bunny losing it completely and trying so hard not to wake her kit.  Well, she definitely wasn’t mad about it.  Angela and Charlie had to go to the kitchen to hide their own laughter.  Stu and Bonnie just looked kind of concerned.  Judy looked up at her lost-looking partner quickly, hands crossed over her chest.  “Are you… Okay?” she asked softly.

 

“I guess… I could have used one of Riley’s cookies with that.” Nick murmured blankly.  Judy groaned at the unneeded added humor.  Nick smiled weakly and stared at his feet with obvious embarrassment.  Dinner was going to be awkward.


	7. Sport

**Guardian Blue: Season One**

Episode 7:  Sport

 

 

 

Fortunately, it seemed everyone got the laughter out of their systems and no one brought up the milk incident during dinner.  Nick and Judy took turns at the shower as it was being prepared to give more time for the embarrassment to die down, and Angela and Charlie had their go after.  By the time it was all said and done it seemed as if the whole family had simply forgotten the little mishap.   Judy could not help but think of it any time she looked at Eli, or the finally awake Sandi who thankfully had not roused hungry.  Nick was very interested in seeing Sandi, and fortunately Eli did not seem to mind.  The fox was afraid to pick her up because of how tiny she was but Judy thought it was precious watching him apprehensively let the kit hold his finger, both little hands barely able to encircle it as he tickled her cheek with one of his dark claws.  The sight of it did a lot to make Judy relax about how embarrassing things were just moments before.

 

Dinner was served and Nick was actually very surprised to find that Bonnie had prepared black bean sausages for the russet-furred predator at the table. It was a very convincing meat substitute.  While Nick didn't eat meat at all aside from the shrimp that he associated with 'home', and perhaps the occassional substitute when given it, he seemed delighted at this fare, or at least the sentiment behind it.  Her family was obviously trying to include him.  There was perhaps a little nausea of some of the others at the table.  Judy did not mind so much, but knew her family was certainly not accustomed to it.  Fortunately the fox hit that first and it was gone in seconds while he then took notice of his salad and more slowly grazed on that.  He had a choice between a creamy dressing and vinegar dressing and chose the vinegar.  Judy suspected it was because it reminded him of the milk from earlier but did not say anything.  Nick did not appear to like tomatoes as he ate around them, but everything else he seemed just fine eating.  The table relaxed a little with the sausages gone and general conversation started up.

 

They talked about the house fire, and discussed where Doc Tuber, the owner of the house and father of the five kits, was staying.  He had been put up free of charge in the town’s only hotel, the owners of the hotel glad to have him stay until he could get things in order with his insurance and the like.  Nick seemed very interested in the hotel as a result.  Judy assumed that most places in Zootopia would not be quite that generous, even in a time of need.  There was just so much need in a city that size.  She was happy that the kindness seen in her home town impressed Nick.  After the meal, they all cleared the table and Judy and Angela helped with dishes, leaving Nick to fend for himself against a tirade of fox-questions.  He didn’t seem to mind answering them, they were certainly not as odd or silly as some of the questions they would occasionally be asked at some of the schools they had visited.  They mostly wanted to know if there were any odd things about fox culture.  What kind of holidays did foxes enjoy, did they really avoid hospitals, do they need to eat meat sometimes, or can they live entirely on a vegetable diet.  Nick stated that he did not have to have meat, though he liked some protein-rich foods and enjoyed the sausage.  Heavier, bulkier foxes usually ate some kind of protein more frequently but he was happy with his lean form.  He noted that he liked shrimp, that was his favorite protein, and it got a lot of blanching at the table of bunnies.

 

Bonnie asked with sincere curiosity, "How can you say you don't eat meat, but shrimp are your favorite?  Those seem very much like meat."  She shrugged at that, seeming to try to seem innocent in her question in case it was somehow offensive.

 

Nick answered happily, obviously not bothered by it.  "Most predators don't consider them true meat.  I mean, I don't like meat because I don't enjoy the idea that I cause pain.  I like to think of myself as empathetic, mostly because of my mom, I guess...  Insect protein is a bit different though.  I got stung by a bee when I was really small, and they've been on the menu ever since."  Judy blinked incredulously at that.  It was impossible for her to tell if he was kidding, but it got a genuine chuckle from the rest of her family.  Nick stated, continuing on with the questions, that foxes were very sensitive to their environment and did not do well in hospitals, that rumor was true.  He celebrated all the usual holidays plus a few others, like one celebrating giving by giving a thing that was given to you.  Re-gifting was literally what that holiday was about and from what Judy could understand it had something to do with old stories from long ago. 

 

Nick, in turn, began asking a few questions about bunnies.  He asked if they celebrated birthdays the same as foxes did given how many of them there were, if it was hard to remember all of the dates.  He asked if all bunnies were as crazy as Hopps bunnies where it came to taking insane risks, referring back to the rope swing and pretty much Judy’s entire history.  Bonnie explained that while Judy had been so eager to break the mold, a few of her brothers and sisters followed along and as such, the family had something of a reputation at that point.  Nick did not appear to be surprised.  In general the conversation was light and pleasant and everyone seemed very relaxed.  One thing that Judy tried very hard to do was not sit directly by her partner, she tried hard to stay away from him.  He did not seem to notice at least, so she hoped it would perhaps get her mother off her focus.  As the evening wore on, it was Eli who turned in first, knowing she would likely get up in the night with Sandi, for which Nick actually apologized since his thirst meant Bonnie could not help out with that.  Eli forgave the pleading vulpine of course, it was not something he did intentionally.  It would be fine.

 

After Eli, Nick and Judy decided it was time for rest since it had been a terrifically busy day for them both.  Judy showed Nick back to the small room where he would be staying, as he had already forgotten where it was.  It was pretty bare-bones and simple, but the fox was fine with that.  In seeing his apartment Judy figured he would be.  He was not much on added comforts.  Before Nick could close the door, Judy rubbed the back of her head and spoke softly.

 

“I really am sorry about the milk thing, Nick.  I didn’t even think about it.” She offered.  The fox smiled at her nervously and rubbed the back of his head as well, ears back.

 

“Yeah, that’s not a gold star moment for me.  I don’t know how folks in the tri-burrow feel about it, but drinking milk is actually kind of uncommon in the city.  Me liking it was not a real popular choice back in high school, I promise.”  Judy gritted her teeth at that, having not spoken to Nick much at all about his school years.  He seemed pretty tight-lipped about them, and she assumed that he had not fit in well and did not have great memories of it.  He added softly, “I am glad no one was really mad about that.”  The doe waved her hand softly.

 

“My family’s nice, like I told you.  I think you made overall a really good impression.  Thank you for behaving as well as you did.  And don’t think I didn’t notice that you successfully managed not to call me Carrots this whole time.” She laughed.  Nick grinned at that.

 

“I’m still trying to get out of the habit because of my mom, I can’t imagine your parents hearing me say it.” He rolled his eyes.

 

“Actually, I’ve told them you use that as a nickname for me.” She admitted.

 

“Really?  And they let me in the house?” he asked.

 

“Nick, they knew about that when I first told them about how we met and all.  I was sure you’d eventually slip up and I didn’t want them to misunderstand and think you were being mean to me.  They understand, I’m pretty sure.  I have pretty open conversations with them on the phone and all.  I only neglected to say the scary stuff.” She crossed her arms.  Nick leaned in.

 

“Or the scandalous stuff.” He grinned.  Judy flattened her ears. 

 

“Don’t you start, fox!” she pushed him back into the room, forcing him to sit on the bed.   “You get some rest, your tail’s gonna get torn up tomorrow and I want you to have the strength to grieve your loss.” Judy said with a sad expression.  Nick grinned back at her.

 

“I think it will be fine.  It’s more durable than it looks.” He laughed.  “No one’s gonna be slinging melted plastic at it at least.”

 

“Goodnight, Nick.” She laughed.

 

“Goodnight Carrots.” Nick abused the nickname while he could.  The bunny then padded down the hall and to her room.  She flopped onto her bed with all the plushies, finding that her mother had rubbed dryer sheets all over her blankets to freshen them as she would do when family came to visit.  The grey doe changed hastily into her nightgown and then wiggled under the covers.

 

The first thing she realized is that there was almost no sound.  She had been in Zootopia for over a year and at first all the sounds made it hard to sleep, the fighting of her neighbors, the cars on the street, the sounds of laughter from somewhere else entirely, it was always in the background and now there was nothing.  She could hardly even hear crickets with the window closed.  For some reason this ended up being unsettling and she began playing with her phone to try to relax herself.  She sent the pictures of Nick in the truck and playing on the rope swing to his mother who immediately responded back with laughter and informing Judy that her boss at the diner where she worked loved seeing Nick in the truck.  Judy let her know Nick was in good spirits and getting some sleep before a busy day the next day.  She opted not to tell her the game he would be playing.  If Nick got a call from his mom chewing him out for being involved in that when he already had the big event planned he would be sore at his partner for sure.  She could explain that and offer pictures tomorrow and he could be chastised after the fact.

 

After sending the pictures of Nick, she went back to her other directory, finding the silly pictures of Nick asleep.  That sense of comfort swept over Judy, alarming her a little.  Just pictures of the fox slumbering comforted her?  That didn’t seem healthy.  She could not help but quietly gaze at the one of him in the car, marked with soot from saving lives less than 12 hours before.  It seemed forever ago.  He was so peaceful even after that.  It was easy to feel just as serene as she regarded his lean, vulpine features, his eyes closed, so trusting and calm.  She could not help herself, in mere minutes, Judy was asleep.

 

 

 

 

The doe was up again before her partner the following morning.  This was not a surprise to her.  She was almost always awake before Nick.  Looking at her phone she saw that even if she was up before Nick, it was still after eight, so to her that was sleeping in.  She wondered if the fox who had lived every day of his life in the city had trouble sleeping in the sudden eerie quiet.  She passed by his door, ears perked high.  The soft grinding noise of gentle fox snoring told her at least he eventually found sleep.  She left him alone and went out into the kitchen, looking to see her mother eating a bowl of what was probably oatmeal of maybe grits, she wasn’t sure, and her father nowhere to be seen.

 

“He’s out getting the field set up with Charlie.”  Bonnie seemed to know exactly what Judy was about to ask.  The bunny’s heart began beating faster.  Alone with her mother.  Would she try to ask more questions?  She thought hard.  There had to be an out.  “Did you and Nick sleep alright?  Was he able to sleep with you so far away?” she asked, a smirk on her face even though she was not looking directly at her daughter.  The bunny sighed.  Yeah, she knew it was coming. 

 

“I told you.  I accidentally fell asleep on him.  It’s not exactly a thing.”  She pulled her ears back.  It was silly that she even had to defend herself in all of this.  She then remembered something that she had to do.  An out!  Yes!

 

“I need to go and pick up some tarts for Nick from Gideon.  Can I borrow the car to do that?” she asked.

 

“You don’t need to, Gid’s setting up in the back with his mobile stand.” Bonnie nodded out toward the back door.

 

“What?  Why?” Judy asked.

 

“Bunch of bunnies are coming for the game, I guess.  Stu told Gideon he could set up.”  Judy let go of her ears and stood quietly a moment.  How many bunnies?  How many bunnies were coming to watch Nick humiliate himself for them?  She began to feel a deeper sense of dread.  She walked out the back door and down the hill, past the small orchard and out the gate to what was most often a soccer field.  The field had been cleaned up and there were flags and banners placed about to make it seem more official.  True to Bonnie’s word, Gideon had just finished setting up his stand.  Angela was talking with him, helping herself to a cherry tart.  Judy moved over to the larger fox and smiled at him.

 

“How’s your arm, Gideon?” she asked.  He had wrenched it a bit when he threw her.  He was heavier than Nick, but not bigger, it was still a tall order from him.  He smiled brightly to the grey doe.

 

“Hey Judy!  Aw, it’s jest fine, a little tight but I bet it loosens up during the day.  Travis helped me out and put a hot pack on it and rubbed it down real good and it’s all but stopped hurtin’.”  He nodded to his stand.  “Looking like it will be a nice day for a sale; I’m looking forward to it.  Got set up where I kin still see the match.”  He nodded at that.  Judy inhaled deeply and murmured softly,

 

“You don’t think… maybe this is something … that might kind of reflect poorly on a fox, do you?” she asked.  She still could not get around what the game was about and that Nick would still play it.

 

“Naw, I used to watch bunnies play it back in school, no one’s mean about it or nothin’, so I don’t see the harm.  Nick doesn’t seem worried and the folks in town really got to liking him, so I bet it will be fun for everybody.”  Judy sighed softly.  At least Gideon, who knew better the negativity foxes dealt with, seemed to think this was more about fun than unfortunate history. 

 

“Could I get like… four blueberry tarts from you for Nick?  I promised him some and I know how fast those will run out.”  She could at least fulfill her end of the bargain for not having Nick tell everyone about the Mystic Spring Oasis incident, she knew he’d remember.  Blueberry tarts were involved.

 

“Shore, Judy, they’re fresh made too, still nice and warm…”  Gideon got a small paper box and went to his truck and placed the four neatly in the container.  The scent was amazing.  Judy decided that she never promised Nick exactly four, vowing that only three would make it.  The thanked Gideon, intent on getting Nick the tarts while they were warm, but as she headed back toward the house Angela fell into step behind her.

 

“Those for Nick?” she asked.  Judy laughed.

 

“Yep, so you won’t get that story unless you tag his tail.” She teased.  The chances were high that she would, but he wanted to remind her that there was a reason behind the tarts.

 

“So, you and the fox, huh?  Is that even allowed with your job?” she asked.  Judy stopped.

 

“What?” she asked.

 

“Mom kind of asked me to find out since you seemed embarrassed to talk to her about it.  I think he’s nice.”  She grinned at her sister.  Judy fumed, ears laying back again and burning.

 

“Mother. Oooh, when I get my paws on her…”  Judy began stomping toward the house.

 

“Wait, now, there’s nothing wrong with it, she’s just concerned is all.  Particularly how folks here might act about it.  I am sure it’s great in the city-“

 

“I’m not dating my partner, Angela!” Judy fairly shouted, making the black doe stop in her tracks.  “Mom thinks I am because I am really comfortable around him, but can’t a doe just be friends with someone?  We are fine just like we are!” she clutched her box to her front as if to hide behind it.  Why did they have to make this even more complicated.  Did her other sisters know her mother’s suspicions?  Was this what she had to look forward to for the rest of the weekend?

 

“How are things then, Judy?” her younger sister asked.

 

“What?” Judy asked.

 

“Judy, when mom asked me to try and find out, I felt pretty sure without even asking.  I mean, most of the bunnies I know aren’t as close with the bucks they are dating as you are with Nick.  You trusted him enough to let him put your neck in his mouth for crying out loud.   Jessie won’t even let someone nibble her ears.  Can you at least admit it’s an uncommonly strong friendship?” Angela asked plaintively.  She was used to this level of tenacity from Jessie and her mom but Angela was really pulling at the chain.

 

“No, but I can admit that it’s _my_ friendship and it’s fine just like it is without anyone telling me it’s something else.”  Judy began striding toward the house again.  Angela chuckled and said softly,

 

“Alright, Jude, your secret is safe with me, but for what it’s worth, I am glad you have someone who makes you happy.”  The bunny rolled her eyes.  She would deal with it later.  It was going to get out of hand and she did not need her partner embarrassed with that mess before he could even be embarrassed by the game he was about to play.  She walked purposefully into the house, stomping past her mother and pointedly giving Bonnie the stink eye for which she looked back with feigned innocence as the fiery bunny strode by.  Judy sighed softly and went to Nick’s temporary room, tapping on the door lightly.  There was a grumble.  She knocked again.  Waking the fox was not always easy.  She knew to be a little persistent.  Finally Nick asked for ‘a moment’, likely to get clothes on.  The bunny figured Nick slept in boxers or something, but had not thought he’d still sleep like that in a new place.  He cracked the door to see it was Judy, but immediately put his dark nose pad to the parted opening.  He sniffed loudly.

 

“Oh ho!  Password accepted!” Nick chimed and opened the door, letting Judy in.  He sat on the bed, rubbing his sleepy eyes.  Judy flattened her ears.  He was shirtless of course, but that did not really matter to him that much.  The doe would just have to make an exit before her mother wandered by again with that accusing stare.  Judy offered him the box.  He opened it and drew in the scent directly, tongue lolling.  It was heaven to him.

 

“Oh, now I know why Gideon was unhappy I got to have them cold, this is beyond words, awwmmn…”  he pushed one into his muzzle, his tail flitting happily as he sat on the center of the bed.  Judy leaned back against the wall and watched him enjoy the treats.

 

“They are setting up the field outside.  It looks like quite a few bunnies are showing up for this little party.  There’s no backing out now.”  The doe watched him pop another tart and eat it slowly, savoring it before answering.

 

“Mmmn.. Wouldn’t dream of it.  I’m looking forward to this.  It’s gonna be a blast.”  He took a third one in his claws.  Judy then realized suddenly that Angela had distracted her so much that she did not get one like she had planned.  She reached down and went to pick the last one up.  Nick gave a warning growl, baring his teeth.  This of course was not something Judy was afraid of, he did that all the time when she suggested they share a treat, it was more in jest than anything.  Judy growled back at him cutely and snatched the confection, popping it into her mouth.  Nick looked devastated.  He crossed his arms with a pout.

 

“Hey, I went and got them, I should have at least one.” Judy laughed.

 

“Maybe I can tell them one fourth of the Mystic Oasis story.” The fox teased.

 

“No dice, I never told you I would give you four of them.” His partner said with a grin.

 

“I was… I was gonna spend some time just smelling that one, savoring it, enjoying the chorus of blueberries, sugar, baked tart, oh I have been robbed of what I dreamed of most by the wicked bunny baroness!”  Nick placed his arm to his forehead again in melodrama.

 

“You want that blueberry tart smell, fine!”  Judy laughed, and dropped onto her knees over Nick’s legs and grabbed his muzzle with both hands, cupping her mouth over his nose to blow full force, knowing it would cause his lips to flap loudly and comically near the back of his jaws.  She had actually seen Nick’s mother do this to him to wake him from an “ate too much” nap on the couch and vowed she would get him with it someday.  Today would be the day!  He was too shocked and sleepy to move and the bunny inhaled through her nose quickly with her mouth secure to his nose.

 

“Judy, what were you so darned angry-“  Her mother said as she reached the doorway.  Judy widened her eyes, forgetting to blow.  She slowly leaned back, looking into Nick’s wide green eyes.  Nick looked utterly horrified, but only because he was well aware of the ‘bbppppbbbpbpbth’ that he narrowly missed getting.  Judy’s mother shakily continued.  “I-I’m gonna … just go fold the dishes.”  She hastily turned and walked back down the hall.

 

“Never do that to me!” Nick scolded, poking Judy’s suddenly wiggling horrified nose.  “You don’t know what it’s like!  It makes my ears pop and everything!”  Judy fell back onto the floor and cupped her face and groaned.  Bonnie saw that from the back.  It could only have looked like one thing.  Why?  Why?  Why?  Nick looked concerned.

 

“I didn’t poke your nose that hard.” He claimed a bit fearfully.

 

“Nick, my mom thinks I’m dating you.” She blurted out.  Time to let him in on her misery. Nick looked at the sprawled out Judy on his floor with wide eyes, and then he just shrugged.

 

“Yeah, that sounds difficult.  No convincing her otherwise either, I bet.” He stood up, reaching down to help his partner up.  Judy looked meekly up at him.

 

“I’m sorry.  I’m always teasing and messing with you and she’s completely misunderstood.  I hadn’t thought ahead but I can’t blame her completely.  A bunch of circumstances kinda put together made it look like…” She took his hand and stood up.

 

“No need to apologize, but just so you know...”  He rubbed the back of his head again with some trepidation.  “My mom thought it too.  I think she still thinks I’m hiding it and everything.”  He shrugged.  “If you figure out how to get your mom to believe otherwise, you let me know.”  Nick smiled at that.  Judy sighed.  She had worried that he’d be extremely uncomfortable about that, but he seemed very understanding.

 

“I just don’t want them embarrassing you.  You are supposed to enjoy yourself here.”  Judy walked out of the room while Nick put on a black t-shirt.  It looked pretty sharp on him and cut his form nicely.

 

“If they wanted to embarrass me, Fluff, I have given them way better ammunition for that, trust me.  I wouldn’t worry about it.  When they get to know me better they will figure out how our friendship works.  Stressing about it doesn’t help anything.”  He poked her wiggling stressed nose again.

 

“She saw me with my mouth on your muzzle.” Judy stated.  She had a sudden thought.  “I have to get you with the nose thing in front of her, it’s the only way.  She has to know exactly what I was really doing.”  The doe pleaded.

 

“If you even think about it I swear on my beloved tail I will start calling Stu ‘Dad’ and ask Eli about hand-me-down baby clothes in front of your mom.”  Nick stated flatly.  Judy’s entire body tensed up in panic.  Okay, that wasn’t going to be the instant fix she hoped for.  Charlie’s voice chimed in.

 

“”Hey, Nick!  Looking sharp, I doubt there’s gonna be a lot of vixens to notice ya!  Might impress some bunnies though, you never know.”  Judy growled at her brother, who held his hands up innocently.  Nick grinned weakly at him and shrugged.

 

“Didn’t have a balanced breakfast.” He covered for her partner. 

 

Fortunately the next couple of hours getting the field set up, visiting the snack stand again for a little more confection, and greeting arriving family members took Judy’s mind off of her distressing morning.  Sammie showed up and volunteered to play which really surprised Judy.  Of course Charlie was playing, and Angela.  Judy would be playing as well because she knew Nick would not let her live it down for skipping it.  Eddie did not want to play but Judy suspected the younger buck’s wife was not going to allow him to because she didn’t want him to sprain something and be out of work.  Jessie was playing which was not as much of a surprise since she would not have let Judy have all the glory on the field.  Her younger brothers Ray and Marcus, two likewise grey bunnies with a love of everything tech also joined in the fun at the insistence of their father who worried they never came outside.  Judy was not sure where they had been the previous day, but given their love of gadgetry, they were likely at a friend's house where they liked to tinker.  Along with these Hopps siblings, a few of Judy’s cousins and one of Charlie’s close friends also joined to bring the final total of bunnies playing to 12.  That was the magic number. 

 

Judy then began seeing other rabbits arrive.  There were so many, and not just bunnies, but some sheep, a few goats, two other foxes, a whole family of hares, all of them heading for the back yard, cars dropping them off and parking in the tilled field across the road from the Hopps family home.  Judy was absolutely stunned at the number of folks sowing up.  She went to the back to comment on this to Charlie and saw something that made her nearly fall over.

 

Charlie had set up a table and was taking cash from those entering.  There was a cover charge for the game!  People were paying to see Nick get chased around a field by rabbits.  She thought she knew Charlie better than that!  She then flattened her ears.  No.  It wasn’t Charlie.  She _did_ know Charlie better than that.  Nick.  He put him up to it.  This was the thing that Nick and Charlie had going on.  _He was supposed to be relaxing and not thinking about work and here he was what… working a hustle?  How could he?!_ She gritted her teeth, balling her fists up.  _His tail was hers._   She was going to humiliate him on the field, she swore it.  She would not hold back, she would not worry about how it looked.  She would make him regret inviting so many bunnies to watch a fox get creamed!

 

The bunny stomped over to the field as Nick was listening to Stu go over local rules.  Often for matches you had two teams and two games were played, the fox from one team playing against the other and the score determined by the number of times the tail is tagged before the last bunny is munched.  The better the bunnies, the longer they have to tag the tail.  The better the fox, the lower their score.  In the case of this match, an exhibition, there was only one team and one fox so the score was entirely fox versus bunnies, and the score would be calculated in tie-breaker terms.  To beat the fox they had to tag his tail twelve times.  If all the bunnies were munched before they reached twelve, the fox would win.  Judy glowered.  Between Angela, her mom, and Nick working this hustle she was in a near fit of rage.  She would get his damn tail thirteen times on her own if she had to.

 

As was customary, the bunnies all formed two lines on either side of the field and Nick stood in the center.  He stretched a bit, looking very fit and no less appealing a target for the smack down he had coming.  The fox had no idea what he’d gotten himself into.  He seemed so happy and confident and waved to the rows and rows of bunnies lining the hill on the back side of the field.  Judy estimated there could be no less than seven or eight _hundred_ mammals piled in there.  It felt like a quarter of the town had shown up.  The match was last minute, not a yearly venue; word of mouth had been very effective.  She looked beside her on either side.  She had Sammie who stood pretty calmly, her glasses off.  She didn’t really need them for this.  On her other side was Angela who was stretching, jumping, and looking positively pumped up.  Hopefully either of them would get a tuft of fur off the fox too.

 

“Everyone ready!”  Stu was the one announcing and he seemed absolutely stoked about it.  There was a cheer from the crowd.  Half of them were eating treats from Gideon’s stand.  At least one fox deserved his gathered wealth from this.  He’d still have a tail when this was over.  Stu gave a shout.  It was not an actual word, it was just a signal.  Every single rabbit in the crowd drummed their foot rapidly.  Judy for a split second remembered the ‘thumper’ thing that Nick talked about and felt a bite of guilt from it, but then everyone moved so she charged in.

 

“Two rows, get him flanked!” Charlie called, and bunnies tried to follow the command but Nick was off like a shot.  Early game usually found the fox pressured but the moving crowd of bunnies, especially ones not well practiced with team work, often devolved to shoving, tripping, and easy marks for the fox so greater numbers did not always mean easier wins.  Nick seemed to understand the two-side line approach Charlie commanded and slipped out of the vice.  Judy was actually surprised by this, he ran so hard that he kicked up grass behind him.  As a rabbit caught up to him, Ray, Nick suddenly turned, actually seeming to use the rabbit’s momentum to keep him upright as he grabbed the bunny with both larger hands.  This spooked Ray a little as the fox shouted.

 

“Munch!”  Ray went down, tumbling in the grass as he so startled by the sudden turn of the fox and the flash of his teeth when he shouted.  Others had to break off the run so as not to trip over him in the grass.  Being stepped on was the most common source of injury in this game. 

 

Stu announced the play, “This is a hungry fox, everyone, Ray goes down, but he will be remembered!”  Judy’s heart tumbled as she ran toward the edge of the field in the regroup.  Her dad was actually using the same lingo as if it were not an actual fox on the field. _That was so much worse!  How could he even say that!?_ This distracted her enough that she held back, watching one of her cousins take point.  She wasn’t even sure of his name, it had been so long.  He closed in as Nick ran down Sammie.  The somewhat padded doe was likely the slowest one on the field and for the fox, the most likely next victim.  She actually squealed with delight rather embarrassingly, certainly not feeling the same fear that Ray exhibited.  As Judy’s cousin reached Nick, the fox jerked his tail to the side, making him dive. The fox just leapt up as the bunny hit the grass and landed right on top of his back, legs on either side of his hips  in a show of how careful he was not to hurt the smaller mammal.  He grabbed both his shoulders and yelled ‘Munch’.  Sammie had turned suddenly, surprising Judy with a show of agility and determination.  She skidded to a halt and dove for Nick’s tail.  The fox had not, it seemed, expected that level of aggression from the albino doe and he yelped as he was literally yanked down by his tail.  Judy winced at that.

 

“Careful!” she yelled, then scolded herself for being defensive of that conniving, opportunistic fox.

 

“Richard joins Ray in the graveyard, but Nick gets a taste of a Bunnyburrow winter with Sammie on his tail and what a snare that was!  The bunnies score with one!”  Judy then saw Nick stand and try to move from his position as her siblings drew around him in a tighter circle. 

 

“Sammie, let go, he-“ Angela yelled at the white bunny who just embraced that fluffy appendage and seemed in no hurry to release it.  It was too late.  Nick turned and dropped over Sammie.  She got munched too, but she didn’t seem to mind.  Suddenly Judy was less surprised that the doe wanted to play.  She got exactly what she was after.  Nick managed to get his tail free just before Charlie’s friend dove for him.  He tucked his tail between his legs and just did an artful turn of his body, grabbing the rough-and-tumble buck and shouting munch as he flicked him off to the side to roll on the field.  It looked so graceful and planned!

 

“Oh dear, the thaw has come and Sammie is no more!” cried Stu, “…and it looks like Mr. Gates has become a quick snack as well.  This is one formidable fox, folks, you gotta eat to work on the beat!”  Judy groaned at that and positioned herself slightly behind Nick.  She was astonished at how capable he was on the field.  His reflexes were fine as she had expected but he was reading their moves so well.  His ability to move his tail at the last moment was something else she saw her fellow bunnies having trouble with.  This was not something a fake tail on a belt-loop could do.  Nick turned to face her and held his claws out, looking playfully sinister as the crowd of her relatives formed a new double line.  Angela ran up behind him.  Judy felt mixed emotions rather suddenly.  She wanted Nick humbled by bunnies, but if that ebon-furred doe got his tail, it would be story time.  Judy darted to the side to make Nick chase her and in doing so betrayed her sister by making Nick turn to see her.  He managed to get a single hand on Angela, but she dove to the ground, tumbled, and kicked up, bouncing way higher than Nick’s head, a perfect rabbit leap.  She was certainly athletic.  Nick glanced up at her and then back down to Charlie as he reached for his tail, just barely getting a hand on it before Nick flicked it away.  Angela yelled a cheer while still in midair, having gotten an aerial view of the tag.

 

“That’s a successful hassle by Charlie, he brought his A-game, and impressive hang time distraction by Angela! Two for the bunnies!”  Stu was really enjoying himself and the crowd seemed to be as well.  At least they were getting their money’s worth with this game.  Judy could not remember one so aggressive in her youth.  

 

“Heads up!” Charlie called, running behind Nick, flanked by Jessie who had been holding back to conserve some energy while her more athletic siblings wore the fox down.  Both were actually chasing him toward Judy.  The fox grinned at his partner and made grabby paws.  Judy held still, making an expression that looked spooked, and Nick went for her.  She smirked at the last second and jumped like her sister had, but instead of going high, she barely cleared Nick’s head, giving a kick and driving him muzzle first into the grass.  There was a loud groan and cheer from the crowd as Judy watched Charlie dive for Nick’s up-turned tail, but the fox simply continued in his somersault and greeted the diving buck in a growling embrace.  Munch.  Judy was shocked at how fast her partner turned that around.  There was a cheer from the crowd for the excellent play, however.

 

“My boy, he got my boy!” Stu mock-cried, “The eldest Hopps buck is dancing on clouds now, and the fox is back on the move, run bunnies run!”  Judy flinched at that.  She was going to kill her father!  Nick did not seem to care, however, he was chasing Jessie now.  This was something Judy had not expected.  Early on in a match the fox is busy trying to keep his back from being toward anyone but Nick was hunting from the start. Five bunnies had fallen and his tail was only tagged twice. It got harder to tag the tail the fewer bunnies were on the field. They were going to lose!  Judy would not be able to get the smug off of Nick’s face with a cinder block!  Jeb, one of her cousins, and Marcus and Danny all three moved from the background and began closing in.  They had been playing it safe perhaps because they were younger and less experienced, but they needed to get into the fray. 

 

Judy could not let him get away with this.  With grim determination, she stopped playing defense and went full offense, taking off like a rocket after Nick as he barreled toward the somewhat slower Jeb.  He didn’t even hear her coming it seemed, she got just in range and yanked that fluffy tail stoutly.  There was a loud encouraging cheer from the crowd.  He broke off his chase of the now seemingly panicked sandy-blonde buck, and he turned to go after Judy.  The trained officer lapine zigzagged a few times and then jumped high, not kicking Nick this time at least, but clearing him easily.  He had to break off his pursuit just to put distance between them.

 

“Judy shows us how it’s done at the ZPD!” Stu cried.  A hand full of fluff earns a point, and bunnies stand at three.  Nick is hassled, but he’s been moving a lot, how fit is he?  Getting tired, fox?  Or just full?”  Stu laughed.  Nick gave a playful salute to the Hopps patriarch, making it apparent he was taking the teasing in stride.  Judy bolted for the fox again.  He turned to face Judy and didn’t see Angela come in at his blind spot.  Yank.  Judy wanted to cheer for her sister but it meant something terrible!  Nick grinned at Judy and then turned and bolted after Angela.  Jessie went after Nick, and Judy flanked alongside Angela.  They could still do this!  As Nick tried to pressure Judy with a chase, Jeb and Lucas, one of Judy’s other cousins, teamed up and started a run at Nick.  The fox was slowing down it seemed, after the hard run from the other officer.  Nick suddenly stopped, the two bucks leaning in to grab his flicking tail.  Judy groaned, seeing the obvious taunt.  Nick jumped and did a full back flip, grabbing Jeb first and hauling him to a stop with both hands.  The shock of the fox’s growling cry of munch stunned Lucas enough that he tripped and fell, tumbling forward.  Nick jumped high into the air and came down with a thump over Lucas, ending his play right there with precise brutality.

 

“Oh my goodness, Marcus and Jeb are a buffet!”  Stu called. 

 

“Dad!”  Judy shouted angrily, backing away from the very frisky looking Nick.  Both of them were enjoying this far more than should be allowed!

 

“He’s a lot better at this… Than I thought he’d be…” panted Jessie.  Marcus and Danny regrouped on one side and Jessie and Judy ran together on the other side, in full chase as Nick barreled after a suddenly very concerned-looking Angela.  She ran faster, but still the fox was gaining.  Her heroic speed and jumping came at a cost, she was tiring.  Jessie panted out again, “I can’t believe he’s this fast!”

 

“We chase criminals, we have to be quick!” Judy called.  She watched as Nick closed in on the black doe.  She looked over her shoulder and smirked, using those powerful legs to jump high into the air so the fox would pass under her, ready to come down and tag his tail again.  What she had not figured on is that Nick would jump just as high and pluck her right out of the air, hands on both her arms, and rolling backwards so that she was brought down on all fours with the fox crouched on top of her, arms crossed over her collar bone.  Munch.  He jumped away before Judy and Jessie arrived, both stunned at what they both had just witnessed.  Marcus and Danny both cried out.  Stu wailed on the mic.

 

“Goodness gracious, folks, that’s gonna be heartburn later, the powerful, spicy Angela is down!  Woo-wee this is a bunch harder with a real fox!”  Judy wondered to herself if she ever found the commentary funny when she was younger.  The laughter and cheering from the crowd suggested it was to them at least.  She gritted her teeth.  Four.  There were as many bunnies left as Nick’s tail had been tagged.  It looked hopeless.

 

“We underestimated him!” Judy called to Jessie. “We need a plan!”  She watched as Nick slowly wandered over in the general direction of Danny and Marcus who were sticking together, seeming to try to figure out how best to escape.  Jessie panted heavily.

 

“What, should I get some garnish and some wine to go with me?” she laughed.  Judy glared at Jessie.

 

“Not funny!” the eldest daughter shouted.  “No, run the zipper at the fox, I will come in from the sun, okay?” Judy called as Nick grinned savagely at Marcus, seeming to single him out.  Danny, every bit the bunny brave, backed away from his brother slowly.  Judy’s sister, younger by less than a day, bolted down along the edge of the field as Nick approached Marcus.  The younger male, only in his late teens, bolted up his side of the field, and Danny ran out ahead and to the side of him as fast as he could go.  Judy stayed in the center of the field and slightly behind Nick in the east, the direction of the sun in relation to the fox.  His eyes were sensitive; she was depending on him not really looking into the bright light.  As she suspected, down Marcus went, literally run down by the fox who pounced on top of him with his call of ‘Munch’.  Jessie dove in quick and tagged his tail. 

 

“Yeah!” she cried with personal satisfaction.  Judy timed it and jumped high.  Nick spun around to grab Jessie and was unable to see Judy level with the sun high in the sky.  His back was to her fully as she landed.  Both her small hands shot out and for the second time in the match she felt the plush warmth of his lovingly tended tail fur spread through her fingers.  Victory never felt so soft!

 

“Boom!” Judy cried.  Nick spun at her, surprised, having not even seen her just as she had planned and he dove at her as she jumped back.  What she had not expected was Danny to suddenly come bolting full speed back down the field with a sudden show of courage.  He yanked the fox’s tail, getting a stout bark and jumped back, seeming more stunned than Nick had been by the point.  He then jumped back hard, running full speed up the field.

 

“I got him!  I freaking got him!” the young buck shouted.  The cheering was explosive, everything had looked nearly choreographed.   Nick put some distance between himself and the bunnies as he got things back under control.  Judy smirked as she rested a little at her side of the field with Jessie, fist bumping her littermate.  Stu positively went off.

 

“The youngest Hopps on the field has given up the ghost, he went too soon, but oh how he was avenged!  Jessie with an aggressive grab from behind in swift retribution followed by an attack from above by Officer Hopps, then a surprise act of solidarity and revenge by Danny, Great job bunnies!  The score now stands at seven tags with three Hopps’ left standing!  It looks dark but it’s been a hell of a match!”  The roar of the crowd was incensing to Judy and she looked back to Nick, who was kneeling a bit, stroking his tail.  She wondered if he’d hurt it, and then chased the thought from her head.  No feeling sorry for that shifty fox.  Making people pay to watch this! 

 

“What the hell is he doing?” Jessie asked.  Judy looked up.  Danny was making a run at Nick who had his back slightly turned to him, mostly concerned with the older sisters it seemed. 

 

“Oh no… He can’t…” Judy groaned, trying not to look at him and give him away.  It was too late though.  With Nick not actively chasing his hearing picked up the approaching bunny.  The fox did not make any motion to move, seeming as if he were still vulnerable and then he jumped back right at the last second, the buck’s momentum bringing him right in front of Nick who jumped forward hard, tackling Danny right off the field.  There was a collective groan from the crowd as the play was immature and the result every bit to be expected.

 

“That victory dance went right into the crockpot, Danny boy!” Stu shouted.  Judy flinched again. Dead.  She was going to kill him dead.  “Then there were two!” 

 

“Crap.” Jessie groaned.  She rubbed the backs of her legs.  The strain was definitely getting to her and even Judy would be able to feel this in the morning.  She wanted to un-smug that fox so badly.  She looked back at Jessie and huffed.

 

“I am gonna bait him… Run him to a 90 degree angle from you.  When he’s on your 3 on my closest pass, you get in there, I will try to let him get close enough that he ignores you for the chance at me.  It’s our best shot at number eight.”  Jessie panted and nodded, and Judy made a run for Nick.  The fox did not seem to expect her to chase him and he ran to meet her, seeming delighted that she came over to play.  Judy could not get over how absolutely happy Nick seemed in all this.  It was frequently enough to make her stop thinking about how mad she was at him.  Judy got within a few feet of the fox then circled and bolted the other way, zigzagging expertly down the field as Jessie seemed to run just to avoid being anywhere near the skilled fox.  Judy did her part and let Nick get slowly closer, the fox putting on a burst of speed when it seemed he was about to overtake Judy, then giving a shout and the crowd roared.  Jessie had closed in as the fox passed, bolting toward him instead of away.

 

“That’s eight, Jessie!  Good girl, those two make a pretty good team!”  Judy put a little more distance between her and the fox and then gritted her teeth as she saw that Nick had focused entirely on the slightly younger bunny.

 

“Oh crap oh crap oh crap!” Jessie shouted with all the elegance of her youth.

 

“Oh no Judy, it looks like Jessie’s trying to dessert!  Get it!?  Dessert!”  Judy looked for a rock to throw at her dad, and then decided to go save her sister instead.  She bolted after Nick, knowing this put them both at risk, but she knew only one way to get him back from her, she just had to be quick.  She managed to catch up and saw Jessie look behind her, but her sister was just not on the same page, and decided at the last second to play sacrifice to give an opening to the bunny cop.  Judy groaned and grabbed Nick’s tail as he pounced the other grey bunny.  Munch.  She was gone.  Judy jumped back, alone on the field.  Stu cried out.

 

“Judy gets number nine but Jessie really was dessert!  That poor thing!  Now the heroic Officer Hopps faces her partner, both trained by the ZPD, this is the moment of truth.  Has anyone ever gotten three tags all alone?  It looks like this match is looking downright foxy!”  Judy panted softly, seeing the expression on her partner’s face.  It was the expression that his mother had made it a point to show Judy.  Joy.  He was truly loving this.  It struck the bunny then exactly why.  He belonged.  He was a part of it.  They were cheering for him just as much as they were her.  This was another childhood memory that Judy was getting to share with him that he really and truly connected with, and another part of her life he loved.  She felt a lot of the ill feeling from before melt.  She was still mad about his little hustle but this was obviously what he was really there for.  He really did just want to play, and he had played so well!  His self-esteem had to be soaring.

 

Nick bolted.  Judy cried out, having been a little shamefully lost in thought and almost allowing herself to get caught.  She grunted and put quick distance between her and her partner.

 

“Come on, be a nice after dinner mint!” the fox laughed.

 

“Sweet cheese and crackers Nick, you’re as bad as my dad!” she cried.

 

“No way you get to spend more time with my tail today, Judy.  We can get this over neat and tidy, then it’s story time with Angela and Charlie!”  Nick was teasing her.  That brought the heat back to the last remaining doe.  She bolted for Nick, causing a surprised cry from the crowd.  Judy was not focused on this as a game of Munch now.  No game of Munch was seriously played with a single rabbit on the field; it was always a chase to that bunny’s last jump at that point in the game, but not this match.  This bunny was trained for something other than running!  Nick lunged for the approaching doe and Judy blocked his wrist and swung her body behind him, pulling his arm back behind his neck and planting both feet into his lower back before reaching back, practically riding him, and grabbing his tail before the shocked fox could pluck it out of the way.  The crowd went completely mental.  They had likely never seen such a play.  Nick turned and flung the bunny, Judy landing with a skillful break-fall and facing Nick again, grinning as the fox looked back with wide eyes.

 

“Hooo my _goodness_!” Stu cried into his microphone.  “Folks we still got a game!  Unbelievable!”  Judy bolted again, not daring to rest on her laurels.  Nick ran the other way.  The crowd was on their feet as they watched a fox chased by a bunny.  Nick tried to shake Judy with rapid side to side lunges but Judy actually predicted one of his lunges and made a grab for his tail.  He flicked it effortlessly between his legs, making her nearly collide with his back, and he turned, getting one hand on her, but she spun and managed to get out of his grip.  To munch, he needed two hands on her.  She then moved around behind him again with the same spinning motion, a foot planted behind his leg as she came back around his front.  She pushed a hand hard against her partner’s chest and sent him down onto his back and shoulders hard, her leg’s position acting as a fulcrum to topple him.  His tail still between his legs was now easily snared from the front.  Judy gave it a yank, pulling Nick’s hips up and making him cry out in surprise before she jumped back again, grinning.  The crowd was screaming. 

 

“Try everything.” Judy said to Nick playfully, quoting Gazelle.  Nick pulled himself up, wiping his backside and dusting some grass off of him, laughing at Judy.  He was definitely surprised.

 

“Eleven!  She’s gotten eleven!  It’s down to this, folks!  It’s down to the last point and the last bunny and she’s shown she can do it!  This is really a showdown!”  Stu seemed ready to keel over with a coronary from his excitement, spittle wiped from his mouth as he leaned forward in awe.  Nick huffed and nodded to Judy.

 

“Well, I’ve rested enough.  Time to run the little bunny down.” He chuckled.  And with that, he bolted.  Judy knew at the speed he was going trying to pivot or do one of her tricks would actually probably get her hurt so her only choice was to run, and she knew she could not outrun Nick forever.  He was not going to give in to one of those same tricks again. 

 

The fox gained on her steadily, and Judy knew that she didn’t have it in her to run him down.  He had opportunities to rest when she and Jessie were forming their plans.  She had only one idea that flickered through her head and it was full of risk but she was willing to try.  That was her entire speech at this fox’s graduation, after all.  Try.  She kept up her pace as best she could and knew the fox was gaining.  She staggered one of her steps abrubtly, as if preparing to zig-zag.  Nick opened his stance, ready to pounce her either direction she went, claws out dangerously.  Judy did not zig or zag however; she flipped suddenly backward, one of her hands smacking Nick’s own as he reached up to grab her, leaving him unable to grasp her fully.  She landed on her feet about six feet behind him in a crouch.  He tucked his tail out of her reach through his legs but she kicked off so hard chunks of sod were sent flying.  Her trajectory took her right between his parted thighs where he had widened his stance to follow her zigzagging, and she turned as she landed on her back in front of him, suddenly embracing his tail tight to her front and snagging the winning point as she came to a stop. Nick fell over on top of her on his hands and knees, pinning her to the grass.  He planted both hands on her shoulders, nose to nose with her, smiling joyfully.

 

“Munch.”


	8. Senior

**Guardian Blue: Season One**

Episode 8: Senior

The loud whistle blow signaled the end of the game. Stu had to fairly scream in his mic to get over the crowd as cheering and foot thumping roared from the hillside. Judy looked up at Nick, still nearly nose to nose from how he'd fallen over on her and he suddenly looked away, ears back with an obvious blush hidden under red fur. He got up and helped the bunny to her feet as they listened to the doe's father.

"I would never have believed an ending like that if I hadn't just seen it, mammals! The bunnies win by force, oh my goodness! That was just outstanding!" Judy held up a hand, waving to the cheering crowd. She had thought she might win at the onset but half way through the match she didn't think it was possible, and yet she had won, and certainly not by any slack from her partner. That was one of the most difficult contests she'd ever been through. She turned to Nick who was smiling at her, panting heavily.

"That… was a very good game of Munch, Nick." She punched his arm. "I guess we better go face the crowd." She laughed. Nick looked worried.

"Do we have to? I didn't consider that part." He whined.

"Oh no, you played the game, you get the fans." She laughed.

"I lost the game, you get the fans." Nick crossed his arms as the doe began to walk off.

"Yeah, maybe if you got creamed, but you were a force of nature, come on." The fox sighed and followed. Judy expected to have a lot of congratulations and fist bumps and other platitudes for her victory but she had not expected a line to form with the insistence that she sign things. Shirts, phones, hats, all kinds of things. Nick was asked to sign them too. He seemed more flustered at the requests to touch his tail which he politely refused, saying that it was a right to be earned on the field. It took almost forty minutes before the crowd petered out. After a bit, only family and closer friends were left milling about, having refreshments. Judy noticed that Gideon was packing up his portable booth. She and Nick wandered over to him.

"Hey, how'd it go? Was it worth the drive over?" asked Judy.

"Yeah, Jude, I completely sold out after the match ended. I hadn't expected to move that much product and I brought half what I made. The shop's gonna close early today if I don't git back there and hit the ovens." He slammed the back doors of the truck. "This was a great idea and that was an awesome match, Jude. I never saw you play back in school but that was outside any definition what I saw there. Mammals gonna be talkin' about that for years." Judy laughed at that, secretly glad that while Bunnyburrow was buzzing about her game she would be in Zootopia where no one cared about it. It felt good to win but she hated being in the spotlight.

"Judy! Judy, come over here!" Her mother was calling to her. Judy happily moved over to Bonnie.

"Hey, what's up?" she asked, having fully caught her breath and feeling genuinely content.  

"So, I was a tiny bit concerned about how... public your affection has been.  I'm okay with that... stuff, I guess your dad too, but..."  Judy found herself barely registering her mother's words as she looked over to Nick and her jaw went slack. Gideon was counting out cash. Into Nick's outstretched paw. A cut. _The damn cunning vulpine was pulling a cut off of poor, gentle Gideon!_ As she watched this in horror, her mother continued to speak.  "... was laying on you and it honestly looked for a second like he might have kissed you, not everyone is going to be kind about it..."  Nick knew her well enough to know she would not want him to do something like this, and get her family involved, get her family's friends involved, was he really that deeply locked into old habits?  Nick was on his vacation and just hustling everybody. Charlie, now Gideon, who else was he going to skim off of? He didn't have to do this.

"Judy?" Bonnie asked.

"I can do that, sure." Judy answered blankly, still staring at the foxes as Nick pocketed the dough. 'I can do that, sure' was her go to answer if she spaced out in a conversation as she found most of the time people who called her over asked her to do something and she could then she could ask again and say she wanted to make sure she got everything right.  This did not typically work with her mom, however, and it did not work this time.

 

"Judy, what is wrong with you, you weren't even listening to me.  Is something going on I should know about?  Is something wrong?  I worry about you being so isolated out there, I would just feel better if I knew-"

The younger doe interrupted.  "Mom, I don't know how else to tell you, you are seeing stuff that's just not there.  Relationships take work and I need to get better established before I can even think about that."

"But you have time to fall asleep on a fox during movie nights." Bonnie's words had serious edge to them. Judy gritted her teeth. That was reaching and she was already angry, her fury about the cover charge being rekindled by watching Gideon pass a very large sum of money to her partner. She sucked in a deep breath and finally gave her mother her full attention.

"Falling asleep, yes. That's what happens. It's late, we've worked all day, half the night catching up on reports, and we want to do something with our time but we can't make it through half an episode of a TV show without looking like we just dropped dead wherever we were. I can do that to Nick because he's my partner and he gets it, he knows what I do, and what we both go through.  I can trust him like that.  I certainly don't need to invite everyone else to examine every single nuance of my private friendships.  I trust him, that's enough, right?" Judy turned again. Nick was gone. _Damn it!_

"Judy, I want you to be honest with me…" Bonnie put her hand on the doe's shoulder. Judy turned angrily.

"Honest? Like you were honest with Angela sending her out to ask about stuff that's not anyone's business? It doesn't matter what I say, what you think, and what anyone does, my life is complicated enough without everyone saying what I'm supposed to be, who I am supposed to be talking to, how I'm supposed to be spending my nonexistent free time. And you will get to see just how close I am to Nick later when you have to pry me off of him with a crowbar!" She threw her ears back, pulling them in her hands and strode purposefully off from her mother. She made it to where Gideon had been parked, looking for Nick, and began to feel bad for blowing up like that. Then she felt another pang of worry because that last part might have been misunderstood as something else. She huffed, too mad to care about it. _Why?_ _He didn't really need the money that bad, did he? Was he in trouble or something?_ She could talk to him about it. She paced around the yard looking to see if Nick was helping break down with her dad, or if he was just talking to more folks who wanted to know about the match. He could not have gone far.

"Judy…" Angela came up beside her.

"Hey, have you seen Nick?" the grey doe asked.

"Yeah, he went in with Charlie for a couple beers, did you just blow up at Mom?" the ebony bunny asked. Judy sighed. Of course Angela already knew about that.

"I am getting worn a bit thin about this dating thing." Judy sighed. "I will apologize later - I need to take care of something." She turned toward the house.

"Mom was crying, I think you need to take care of it now." Angela stated with a bit of worry. Judy's heart sank. It wasn't that bad, what the hell?! She looked back at her sister, pain in her eyes.

"I didn't say anything that bad, Angela, where is she?" Could everyone just go on pause or something until Judy could get her holiday under control?

"I'm gonna bet the garden." The black doe murmured. Judy sighed resolutely and headed that way. Nick's life was extended by just a little bit. She made it around the side of the house to where the garden was, on the east side where it got morning sunlight and was sheltered from the heat of the later afternoon in the summers. It was Bonnie's little refuge. Judy heard the tell-tale sniffle through the gate as proof that her mother was really, really upset. Judy groaned inwardly. It wasn't like she'd never gotten into an argument with her before, right before she went to the academy they had a pretty bad blowout but this was over nothing. It was over worse than nothing, it was over pretended nothing. She opened the gate and stepped in. Bonnie looked down, pulling a leaf off here and there.

"Mom, I…" Judy knelt down, helping with the weeding. A task like this made it easier to talk. It's why they came here to do these talks. The standing joke was the nicer the garden looked the more trouble Judy or her siblings had been in.

"Judy no.  I messed up, this is on me." Bonnie sighed, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

"No, I shouldn't have gotten so upset.  Something else entirely is bothering me, I saw – "

"No, Judy, I mean it.  I really should not be pushing you, but I  _know_  you work hard.  You work harder than I have ever seen a bunny work, and I'm on a damned farm!" Judy shut up, knowing better than to cut into one of her mother's monologues. "I see it honey, I watch and I see how tired you look on Muzzletime, and I see on the news when you deal with something scary and hard and I know how vulnerable you really are out there and still you fight hard and you try to make the world a better place, but for who, Judy?" The younger doe sat on her knees, hands on her thighs as she looked curiously at her mother.

"For all the nice mammals in Zootopia, Mom." She explained. "They can't do it themselves and I try hard for all of them. I want to help. It's all I ever wanted and I am getting to help. Don't assume that I'm unhappy because I am working hard, it's more rewarding than you can imagine." Bonnie literally punched a wandering weevil into the topsoil, making Judy jump.

"They get a nicer city, they get to enjoy it, they get to be happy because you work so hard, but when do  _you_  get to enjoy it? Is their appreciation the only thing you are ever going to need?" Suddenly Judy realized what had been driving her mother to desperation. The reason she had been trying to fix her up with friends, the reason she wanted to find out what she had with her partner.

"Mom, I do enjoy my time there.  It's hard sometimes, sure, but I really feel like it's worth it, and I'm only twenty-five.  I won't be a spinster by next spring.' She laughed softly.

"Or an elephant can fall over on you during a scuffle and you exit stage eternity without ever getting to enjoy your life in the city you protected. I  _think_  about that, Judy! I watch you try so hard and I see the good you do and I worry about seeing you do all of that and then it's over and you didn't live for you, you only lived for everyone else." She sniffled again. Judy's heart ached. She didn't realize her mother was worried about something this heavy. The younger bunny wasn't even sure how to comfort her. It was true, she could be gone in a flash, that was the nature of her work, but did it really mean she hadn't lived? It would not hurt her to do some of the normal things girls her age did, go on dates, have a meaningful relationship, but at least right then it just didn't make sense to the doe. She just… did not feel the need for it. Was something wrong with her for that? She wasn't lonely. She flattened her ears again. She wasn't lonely because of Nick. But she didn't feel like she was missing out on anything. It wasn't a romantic relationship but it was still rewarding. She shook her head.

"Mom, I know you worry, and I am glad you do, but leave the romance side of it to me, okay? I deal with a lot of mammals every day. If there's someone out there for me, I know I'll find him." She grinned. "He can't hide from my detective skills." She put a thumb to her chest. Her mother looked up at her.

"Maybe you already found him." she stated.

"Okay, so flat out, I'm not dating my partner. No way. We are good friends but I think Nick would sooner hot wax his entire tail and go through life as a red possum than have to tell his family and friends he's dating his bunny partner so that's an image you can safely wash from your mind."

"Not even interested?" her mom asked, making Judy roll her eyes.

"My whole reason for not dating is because I can't deal with additional complication in my life. Do you know how much more complicated it would be if I were dating him? Not just dating a fox, but  _that_  fox?" she asked with a laugh. "I am an independent bunny; I do not need the dating scene, companionship, or any of that, at least not for now." A little voice chimed in the back of Judy's head. 'except when you are having trouble sleeping, or are scared by a story that you read'. She hid the grimace as her mind played over that. That was a different feeling entirely. Bonnie sighed, obviously missing her daughter's forced hesitation at the end.

"Just… Promise me that you won't let yourself get to a point where you look at dating and say to yourself, 'It's too late in my life to get involved with starting all that, I'm fine just like I am' because you deserve to live life, Judy, even if you are a hero cop. You live every day for them, I want to see you, at least sometimes, live for you. And don't you  _dare_  go a whole year without visiting us again." Judy laughed softly and hugged her mom who sniffled again. They embraced a while and she leaned back, wiping her own eyes. She felt better having this talk with her mom, and really getting to the bottom of what was bothering the Hopps matriarch.

"I'm gonna head in and get something to drink and cool off. That was…" She sighed.

"That was amazing to watch, Judy. You did just a magnificent job out there. I think everyone who came will have a very different picture of you and respect for how good you are as a cop, honey." Her mom said warmly. Judy hugged her again, cheek-rubbing and then standing and heading inside. It was time to finish what she started with Nick's tail. She went inside the house and found her partner sitting on the floor beside her brother. Charlie and Nick were playing a damned video game. Judy was outside pouring her heart out to her mom and her partner was sitting on his ass like a twelve year old playing video games! Nick was howling with laughter as Charlie ran a hot sports car off a cliff and in front of a train and barely missed his end, flipping up, hitting a tree that formed something of a ramp, and landing on a deck on a cliff-side house, perfectly parked. Charlie shook his fist.

"Boom! Landed it!" As if he really meant to park there. His character, a goat by the look of it, got out of the car and stepped right-off the porch and to his doom at the jagged rocks a hundred feet below in the open world crime-fighting game. Nick and Charlie wailed with laughter and took respective drinks of their beer. Judy sighed heavily. She could not break this up, they were having way too much fun, she'd be a total ass for jumping on Nick right then. Charlie was really enjoying her partner's company and Judy could not remember him ever getting along that well with anyone any of her sisters brought home. She rolled her eyes as the controller was handed to Nick.

"I'm gonna jump over one of those small planes as it takes off." Nick laughed.

"No you won't, you get arrested the moment you get on the airport property!" Charlie laughed.

"You just watch me! They gotta catch me first!" Judy shook her head and went into the kitchen and got a drink. She decided to just say the hell with it and got a beer too. She sat on the couch and found herself genuinely laughing at the antics of the fox and buck as they goofed around on the game making no attempt to actually play it in any respectable manner, just trying to one-up one another with more and more ridiculous stunts, causing carnage all over an imaginary city. The drink made this carnage a lot funnier and even Judy had the controller passed to her a few times. She had never played the game before so it was far shorter lived but she had fun with it all the same. It seemed to go on for a while, sure, but she was not aware how long a while it was, on the order of literally hours when her father came in.

"Hey guys, if you need to get tidied up at all now's the time, I'm gonna run and pick up Pop-Pop from the retirement village. I'll be back in about half an hour or so. Great game again, all of you. Big gold star on the Hopps family name that was!" He pumped a fist again. Judy felt a little guilty knowing that she had not seen her father because he was probably helping get the back cleaned up from the crowds and she hadn't even offered to help, but she was sure that if she had she would have been run back inside anyway. No one makes the winner sweep up after the parade, he'd say. She sighed a bit, and then widened her eyes. Oh crap, her grandfather. Nick was well aware of what was coming.

"Well, it was nice knowing you Charlie. It was fun, we all had fun right?" Nick asked. Judy's mother's father was not only hard on foxes, but at a hundred and one years old he felt above the need for correction by anyone. He was proud of being a bunny, proud of his daughter, and proud of his farm. He was not proud to have foxes tromping all over it.

"We could stuff Nick in one of the cabinets in the kitchen or something." Charlie laughed to Judy.

"No! Pop-Pop will think I'm goin' for the silverware!" Nick laughed. Judy cringed because that was probably exactly what the older rabbit would think. Nick got up stumbling a little. He wasn't drunk, the beer had worn off long before but his feet were asleep from sitting on them. He headed to take a shower at the insistence of Charlie.

"You need one too, right?" she asked her brother. "You can take it after me, I don't want to be stuck with cold water."

"Suit yourself." Charlie laughed. "I will be suspiciously missing at dinner." He laughed. Judy widened her eyes.

"What? Where are you going?" she asked.

"I agreed to ferry folks back and forth to the game and a bunch of those paid their gas money by helping dad clean up the field. It'll be after dinner before I'm back from all that, so good luck with Pop!" He got up, laughing as he headed for the door. Judy groaned. He would not have to see this disaster. She then narrowed her eyes, smirking as she sat alone in the living room. Nick would deserve dealing with this on his own for his transgressions, she felt. It would be an appropriate experience for him and he invited it. It certainly would not go as well as the Munch match did and she would not be defending him in the least.

She got her shower taken care of, then helped her mom get dinner prepared. This time it was a pretty standard bunny fare. Judy had to agree that making anything special for Nick would only set her grandfather off. Her mom's dad was known for his belief that predators in general got special treatment at the detriment of bunnies everywhere. He knew this because seedy radio shows told him so. The table was made nice and Nick waited in the living room to meet with the oldest Hopps family member. Judy stayed in the kitchen with her mother. She didn't want to interfere with this, Nick wanted this. A few of her other sisters showed up, including Eli who was staying the night again. Jessie was there, and Sammie never left. Angela was running late from going back to a friend's house to upload the match onto Zootube. Being a bit out of town, the Hopps home did not have high speed internet. The black doe did make it back before Stu and Pop-Pop by only a matter of minutes. She sat in the kitchen, seeming stoked about how the video turned out. She provided Judy with a few still shots of the match, including some incredible action shots that the younger doe's friend had taken of some of the moves on the field. Judy found herself wondering if she should show those to Vivienne since the game still seemed, at least from an outside perspective, brutally fox-bashing.

"We're back." Stu announced as he came in. A dour-looking older brown and silvered bunny in a sweater-vest and slacks pulled up past his navel thumped in with a cane with four feet and tennis balls on each one. His focus zeroed right in on Nick.

"Well that explains the smell." He coughed. Judy felt a pang of guilt then closed her eyes. No. She was not going to intervene. Nick wanted this. Here it was. If he behaved like he promised maybe he could use his secret request that he hoped to earn to keep Judy from pushing him out of the train on the way back for hustling half the town.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Hopps." Nick said in a very pleasant tone. Judy assumed a paw was offered.

"Please." The older rabbit said. "Albert. My friends call me Al. The good mammals of Bunnyburrow, they call me Mr. Hopps." There was a short pause and then a low, grumbly voice, "Yew, however, kin call me Bert." Judy's heart sank but she stood her ground in the kitchen. Let Nick take it. Let the fox get the bashing for making her town pay him money for his vacation.

"Alright Bert, it's a pleasure." Nick said again.

"Not for all of us." The older rabbit grumbled.

"Please Dad, " Stu pleaded, "We talked about this."

"Naw, you talked about this, you know my feelin's on it. I warned you when you took up dealin' with that fat pie-fox, you let one in and your house gets full of em, and there it is, right on the new carpet like it's been on them its whole life." Judy widened her eyes. Bonnie looked ill at that too. The three of them came in from the living room. Stu helped the elder Hopps down and Nick took a seat at the other side of the table with Judy. Judy scooted two chairs down to put space between her and Nick. She was trying to get her mom to stop thinking she was in some kind of relationship with her partner. He noticed this, but nodded, perhaps thinking more it was to placate the older bunny. The doe sighed softly. It was not off to a great start but Nick was keeping his promise and behaving. Jessie and Sammie took their places and Angela did a moment later after having washed up. Eli was last, having checked on her kit who was happily playing with some kind of puzzle cube.

"This dinner looks lovely, Bonnie, honey lemon carrots and veggie stir fry, I remember the first time you made this." The very hungry-looking Stu sat down. He'd been working hard, Judy was sure he was starving.

"Saw the video on the news of the fox attack, Jude." Pop said in a near whisper. "Blink twice if'n ye need help." Nick folded his ears back at that. Judy winced. That one bothered him, it was obvious, but he began eating quietly. Judy's sisters looked down at their food, poking at it, seeming lost. Judy's father cleared his throat and spoke.

"Yes, thank you for that, Pop, but she's doing really well in the big city, she's been on the news, and her and Nick helped with a –" The older bunny cut Stu off.

"Yeah, that's right, no one say grace, the fox'll catch fire and this whole house'd go up in minutes with all the fumes." Bonnie pushed her plate away. Stu narrowed his eyes.

"When have we ever? Half my kits are non-secular. It's not a big deal. Try not to think about our guest if you can't be gracious, Dad." Stu standing up to his father-in-law was a rarity and Judy was a little surprised to see it.

"It's alright, Stu. He doesn't know me.  He's okay." Nick insisted.

"But it's rude-" Bonnie began. "Dad, this is my place and we do not treat guests - " Nick spoke over her.

"It's fine. Bert, you know, if you have questions about me, or about foxes and you've never had the chance to ask them, you can ask me. I will answer them honestly, no judgement." Nick offered himself kindly and without reservation. Judy felt a sinking sense of dread. That was a terrible idea. She shoved food into her mouth. If she finished dinner quickly she could create a reason for her and Nick to need to leave the table. Her angry determination was sapped. She could not just watch the fox-abuse all night.

"Oh? An honest answer? Okay, if I asked a fox to say, 'I always lie', and it's tellin' the truth when it says it, will it explode?" Judy cupped her muzzle. Bonnie buried her head in her hands. She was mortified by the actions of her father.

"Oh good heavens." She sighed. Nick smiled smugly. Sammie coughed a few times and excused herself to freshen up. Jessie looked away, her cheek on one hand seeming miserable at this. Judy wondered why any of them had agreed to be here at all. Nick spoke calmly.

"No, exploding right then would be against the rules as it would reveal inherent dishonesty of the species which would in turn be honest, but you can't be sure of that since I could always be lying." Judy and her dad seemed to be racing to finish their dinner. Eli was so uncomfortable that she excused herself to go feed Sandi, her perfectly loaded get out of the moment free card. Strategic exit. This needed strategic exit, this was a terrible idea. Albert was trying harder and harder to get a rise out of Nick knowing that the family would have to remove the fox from the table for his own sake eventually. The curmudgeon bunny continued.

"I heard about a fox once who got drunk and broke into a place and robbed the place blind, then when he got home he found the place in disarray and panicked, calling the cops to report the crime without realizing that he'd accidentally broke into his own damn place, but he couldn't tell because everything in his house were stolen and he didn't recognize any of it when he'd been drinking. Did ye hear about that? I'm sure it were on the news." Nick quietly sat through this, Judy's heart pounding. He was so damned stoic. She had to admire his self-restraint. He at least should have been biting back with bunny jokes.

"I had not heard about that. I suppose that would be a drawback to keeping all the stuff you nick instead of sensibly pawning it or sending it to a fence. Amateur." He chuckled. This seemed to irritate the older Hopps bunny. Jessie finally reached her limit, taking her mostly empty plate to the sink and going outside for some fresh air. Judy finished her food and looked at her mom who had hardly touched hers. She looked mortified. They expected him to insult Nick, but not the ever increasing viciousness of his smearing. Angela coughed quietly. Nick munched his food silently a moment as the older rabbit seemed to mull over the peculiar and calm fox. Judy perked her ears. Was this it? Was this Nick winning? Pop-Pop could not enjoy getting no reaction from him like this. Albert took a bite of his food again, and then leaned back.

"I'm gonna guess you don't know yer father, right? Grew up without one? Not real reliable, fox dads." Judy's body felt suddenly engulfed in fire and Bonnie stood up before she could cry out.

"Dad! No! I'm not gonna-" Nick held up a hand. The eldest doe trailed off, not sitting down, jaw trembling. Albert glared at his daughter reproachfully. Nick wiped his muzzle with his napkin and leaned back.

"You are correct. I grew up without my dad." Nick stated softly. Judy whimpered almost imperceptibly. No. She didn't want to find out about that like this. Not having it dragged out mockingly in front of her family. "I was… not old enough to remember it well at all. Five or six, I think it was? One day, Dad didn't come home. That's all I understood back then. Mom told me he died, but I was too little to really understand what that meant." The expression on Albert's face had fallen. He obviously did not want the conversation to go to this place. The eldest Hopps seemed to realize he had gone too far but this was of no comfort to anyone at the table. Angela turned in her chair, facing away a bit. Judy's chest rose and fell with almost labored breathing. Please don't tease him anymore. Please don't attack him anymore.

"Sorry I brought it up." He stated genuinely, offering to let Nick stop. Nick glanced about at how uncomfortable everyone at the table was. The fox likely had more to add to that, but doing so would have been too much, he seemed to understand. He shrugged and added just a little more.

"Like I said, I don't remember him, so don't think I'm bent out of shape about it. But for the record, you are still right. Being dead is not a very reliable method of parenting." Judy kept her hands over her muzzle. Albert looked miserable. That seriously blew up in his face. No one was going to thank him for that. He appeared to have crossed his own line in his escalating attack on the fox. The black doe turned back around in her chair and sucked in a deep breath before speaking.

"So, Nick, Judy said you got top of your class at the academy." Angela practically donned cherub wings as she attempted valiantly to save the conversation. Even Albert seemed grateful to get the mantle of suck off of him. The ebon bunny leaned forward. "How was it for you? Judy told us all about the academy for her, but did you find anything particularly challenging?" she asked. Nick seemed happy to take a detour in the conversation and told Angela and the soon curious Bonnie and Stu and returning Eli and Sammie all about the obstacle courses, the book work, the running, oh the endless running, and how often he got in trouble for trying to stay light-hearted in situations that should have been serious.

Judy watched her grandfather quite a bit. He remained mostly quiet but listened to Nick's story attentively. To Judy it was not that terribly different from her own experience in the academy, he struggled early on with some of the physical stuff even as he excelled at the study side of it. As he caught up to his classmates he had his own reasons for wanting to do better than everyone there and pushed himself hard. Judy's family seemed perfectly enthralled by it but she felt that this might have been in part because the elder Hopps was not given much speaking time in this, and in fact, said absolutely nothing after the misstep he took earlier on during the meal. Judy would have to remember to thank Angela for pulling the night out of the fire as it were, she really did push the social evening over a wall.

As night closed in and the sun began to sink below the hills in the distance, Stu stood up and informed everyone that it was time for grandpa to head back to the retirement community. It was at this point that Nick stood up and cleared his throat.

"Judy promised me I could help out tonight. I would be happy to take him back." Judy widened her eyes at the fox. What? When did she promise…? She put a hand over her muzzle again. His favor. He was using his favor. But why? Why for that, of all things?

"Are you… Are you sure, Nick?" asked Stu. He did look terribly tired and the drive would have been tedious for him.

"Absolutely." Nick grinned.

"Oh no." Albert stood up, shaking his hands in front of him. "Not like this, I didn't mean none of it, you gotta believe me." Judy flattened her ears. Pop-Pop thought Nick was going to hurt him.

"Oh stop being silly, Dad." Bonnie chided. "You are perfectly fine. Nick, do you know how to get to Honey Acres?" she asked.

"There's like… three roads in Bunnyburrow. I think I can get it figured out." He laughed. "Bert can give me directions if I get turned around."

"Ye see?" cried the older rabbit. "Ye see, he doesn't even care where he's taking me!" He hugged himself. "Not like this, it doesn't end like this, I'm not done livin!"

"Come on, Bert, stand tall, you're a pillar of the community. No one sees your knees shaking." Nick said with a smug grin. Judy was speechless. What the hell was he doing? He was scaring her grandfather to death. Judy knew Nick had no intention of hurting him, but what in the world was he trying to gain or prove with this? Was Pop-Pop supposed to be thankful for not getting eaten? Albert finally sucked in a deep breath and looked to his family.

"Yer right, fox. I'm strong. I'm not gonna make a fuss. I will go into that dark night to face it with dignity." He moved over to Sandi. "Little bunneh… I barely got to see ye, but you'll know Pop-Pop was a strong bunny and he lived brave to the end, right?" Eli rolled her eyes and Bonnie pinched the bridge of her muzzle with disdain. "Stu…" He moved over to the other buck. "… You take care of my family. Don't let the foxes git the good ones." He nodded at Judy and Angela and then headed for the door. Jessie and Sammie gestured their combined insult. Nick smiled at Judy as the eldest buck departed.

"I'll take the wagon, the truck scares me." Nick stated. Stu handed him the keys. "It will take a little longer than Stu, I'm getting used to the road layout here and I want to chat with him a bit when we get there if that's okay. I want to make sure he knows there's no hard feelings. I know that change… does not come easily after a long life. Even if we can't be friends, I want to make sure he knows I don't hate him, and I think I know a value he and I both share where we can see eye to eye, so who knows." He shrugged.

"Thank you for the patience you showed, Nick. I don't know how you manage." Bonnie said with a sigh. "On behalf of our whole family, " Nick shushed her.

"I wasn't being insulted by your family, I was being insulted by the past. And it's in the past. I can't do anything to it. Don't worry. The future's looking better at least, I promise." He smiled warmly and made Judy feel a warm glow. He really was in it for the long game, as he always said. She had trouble feeling any anger for him after all of that. He really was being kind. She still felt that the car ride was a bad idea, but she would have to let him do this. He stayed civil with the worst of it and that's more than even she could do. With that, he left. Judy heard Albert arguing with Nick outside by the car for a little bit as he resisted the fox's encouragement to get in the car, but eventually he got in and they were off.

"I hope he knows what he's doing." Stu said softly. "I feel guilty subjecting him to that for even another minute. Judy, you'll tell him how much it meant that he was good about that, right?" her father asked. Judy nodded. She then excused herself to her room for a bit, a happier task ahead of her to try to take her mind of worrying about whatever other ugly things Pop-Pop could say to Nick when he was not worried about his family hearing it. She selected pictures from the Munch match and sent them to Nick's mom. Her phone rang almost immediately. She was actually glad to talk to her. The vixen always had such pleasant energy when she spoke to the bunny. It felt like spiritual healing any time she talked with her.

"Oh my goodness, that looks exciting!" Vivienne's first words were of the exact flavor that Judy needed right then. His mom was thrilled. Everything about her son's new life and the bunny he shared it with seemed to leave Viv positively elated and that warmed Judy's heart a lot. She had taken a liking to Vivienne after reuniting her with her son because of the energy she had and how eager she was to see the often life-demoralized fox happy. Judy felt like she had help on hard days for Nick as a result.

"He was playing a game with us called Munch." Judy explained.

"I know all about it." His mom said. Judy felt a pang of guilt. Then she'd know what it was about. The doe tried to steer the conversation away from what it might have meant to a fox to just let Viv know everyone enjoyed it.

"He did great! We had a lot of folks there, and it had a real festival atmosphere. He played very well." There was a soft laugh on the other side that told Judy that his mother was not really worried about the anti-fox feel of the game, at least in however she understood it. The pictures did show him seeming to have fun.

"I loved the picture of him on the rope swing too. I didn't think you'd be able to get him on that. He used to hate the rope climb thing in school. The gym teacher was always so loud about it, I figure that turned him off ropes in general." She laughed.

"He did well! He was apprehensive at first, but it made a connection for him about how I had used it to get stronger when I was a kit, and how that strength saved his tail during out first case together." she offered.

"He's actually really sentimental for a fox. He always has been." His mother explained.

"I am starting to see that. Is that so odd for a fox?" Judy asked. She felt she could ask Vivienne anything she wanted just as readily as she could Nick. More if it meant she was asking about Nick himself.

"Nick's more sensitive than most. I think it's more because he guarded too much when he was young. Didn't let himself feel what he needed to feel. I think he was always afraid people would see he was sensitive and he figured they would use it against him so he didn't make friends often when he was in middle school and on up from there." Judy nodded understandingly at that. She could see it. He knew everyone, but he only hung out with her, and sometimes Finnick or a few of the other officers he worked with. It was clear his past was not full of close friends.

"He's doing a lot better these days, I think. He got on wonderfully with my brother Charlie. They played games all afternoon, and they've hung out I think more than Nick and I have actually. Charlie even helped Nick get that game of Munch set up, made it a real tournament style game." Judy explained.

"I am so glad he got to play, he looked like he was having so much fun!" Vivienne stated in her soothing, warm tone as Judy relaxed on her bed.

"He did have fun, and everyone loved watching him play!" Judy offered, wanting to make it more obvious that it was a good experience for the fox. There was nothing derogatory about it. If anything it was good for foxes in Bunnyburrow in general.

"I bet! Did he win?" his mother asked.

"No, but only just barely not. I took him down at the end of it. I scored three points on him with no one left on the field. That last shot you saw of me on the ground at his feet with his tail – that was the winning point." Judy stated.

"Wait, really? You scored on him three times alone?" the vixen asked incredulously. Judy grinned.

"Yep! I don't run like other bunnies, I am very aggressive." Judy was very proud of the unusual turn at the end of the game.

"Goodness that can't have been easy! But I bet if he had to lose to anyone like that he was glad it was you!" she chimed. "Gosh, I can't believe he got to play that out there." Her tone seemed locked in happy memory. Judy felt glad to hear the day had left his mother feeling happy for him. She spoke up again. "I think they're all still boxed up here somewhere but I still have all of Nick's old Munch trophies." Judy sat bolt upright in the middle of her bed, upending her pillow onto the floor and holding her phone tight to her ear.

"Wait, what?"

 


	9. Hole

**Guardian Blue: Season One**

Episode 9:  Hole

 

 

 

Judy paced in the living room, pulling back her ears yet again.  They’d be longer by the time she got done with this damned ‘holiday’.  He hustled them.  He hustled everyone.  The whole thing was a hustle.  She growled, turning on a heel and shaking her hands in front of her as if her anger was gummed up between her fingers.  She was so mad that her fingers hurt from it.  She could not remember ever having been this irritated at Nick.

 

“Oooh, when I get my paws on him.” she grumbled.  He made it seem like he’d never heard of Munch.  On the train he made that poor bunny mother uncomfortable having to watch her son explain it to a fox, but Nick already knew all about it.  He not only knew about it, but was apparently a champion player.  Off course he didn’t feel it was unfair to foxes, he had damn trophies!  Judy didn’t even know they played that in Zootopia, much less that foxes liked to play.  It was a ruse to make everyone think he was an amateur.  She thought her partner was going to get humiliated by bunnies but the fox would have creamed her whole family publicly if she hadn’t been playing too.  If the fox’s partner had opted to just sit on the sidelines her family would have been known in the town as disorganized fox chow!

 

Vivienne had not realized that Judy was mad at the end of the conversation which was fortunate because she would not have to be a witness for the trial.  They had briefly discussed when they were returning to Zootopia and she brought up the video that had been aired with Nick hunting Judy.  The vixen did not seem surprised by it but Nick had really told her pretty much everything.  He was so honest with her about it.  She wished he could have been honest with her about a few things.  Judy popped her knuckles.

 

Even worse, he set up that game and he charged entry for them to see him wreck the Hopps family in a game of skill that twelve hardworking bunnies should have been expected to win against one city fox.  It was to remind them that foxes were not placid things that drove pink trucks to seem non-threatening, they were still a thing of power and speed and cunning.  He even made poor Gideon give up part of his earnings for the right to be there for that ruse.  She could not believe Nick would do such a thing.  Sure, he came in expecting that bunnies were going to be untrusting and all, but they hadn’t been.  He’d been treated wonderfully by everyone except her centenarian grandfather who he was probably traumatizing by driving him to darker, scarier, and increasingly out of the way places.  The door opened and Judy steeled her nerve.  She couldn’t get loud, it was late, but she was not going to back down.  She was going to put that fox in his place.

 

It was just Charlie.  He sauntered in as Judy put on a more relaxed expression.  He had obviously hung out somewhere with friends since it took so long to get back.  Her brother smiled to her meekly as he found the doe standing alone in the living room.

 

“How’d dinner go?  Did Pop-Pop behave?” he asked.  Judy’s ears flattened.

 

“No.  He did not.  Nick’s driving him back to the home.” The doe crossed her arms in front of her.

 

“Nick… Wait Nick’s driving him back?  He went alone with the fox?  Is he unhappy at Honey Acres?” Charlie asked with a laugh.

 

“Did you know Nick was a championship Munch player?” Judy asked.

 

“No.  He said he’d played in school, but I didn’t know he was all that.  I guess after playing with him I see it, sure.  I’ve never played such a good game of Munch in my life.  I bet those who play the game are looking up all their fox friends now.”  He laughed.

 

“Wait, he told you he’d played before?” Judy asked.

 

“Yeah.  I thought you knew.  I mean, you guys are inseparable, you know like… everything about him, right?” he asked.  Judy growled, getting a puzzled look from Charlie and she just walked heavily out onto the porch.  She did not want to fight with her brother over it.  He didn’t know.  He had no idea how conniving Nick had been.  She didn’t want to smear her partner to her family.  She would deal with this on her own.  Charlie did not follow her and after a bit she heard from outside the stairs inside as he walked up them.  He was heading up to his room.  Judy leaned against the support beam on the porch, watching where the car had been parked.

 

Nick told Charlie he’d played before.  So he wasn’t really hiding it.  At least, he was doing his usual ‘technicality’ stuff.  Red wood.  With a space in the middle.  Wood that is red.  It was going to take that fox so long to redeem himself.  She spotted headlights coming up the drive.  Finally.  She turned and went back inside.  She didn’t want to seem like she had been desperately worried about him.  She sat heavily on the half-moon couch in front of the TV and turned it on.  It was the news, talking about the Bellwether case.  The TV was instantly off and she crossed her arms again.  The door rattled a bit and Nick opened the door.  He entered with a pleasant, relaxed, terribly smug expression again.  Her heart hammered faster.  She was going to tear that smug out of him.  He noticed her and walked over, then standing stark still as he realized her expression was sour.

 

“Uh… I did say it would take me a bit longer.” Nick said meekly.

 

“Two hours Nick.  You’ve been out for two hours.” Judy growled.  His ears went back.

 

“Sorry, I was showing Otto some card tricks, he actually learned to do one of-“

 

“You’re calling him Otto now?”  Otto Albert Hopps would only share his original first name with family.  No one else ever used it.  Even her dad called him Al.  That was a little alarming.  She shook the thought away, focusing on the task at hand instead.  “No, of course you are.  Why wouldn’t you be?” Judy leaned back.  “Nick, how many trophies do you have for Munch?” the doe asked.  Nick visibly flinched.  He then smiled weakly at his partner. 

 

“Been talking with mom I take it?” he asked.  Judy gritted her teeth.

 

“How much money, Nick?” The doe asked in a very dark and cold tone.

 

“How much money?” he asked.  He looked genuinely dumbfounded.

 

“Everyone paid to get in, and Gideon handed you a cut.  How much money was it?” Judy stood up.  She was ready to tackle him if he decided to distract her and run for his room.  Nick’s ears were folded back and he looked unhappy.  “Well?” Judy asked.

 

“It was just under thirty five hundred bucks.” Nick offered in a soft tone.

 

“Three thousand, five…”  Judy pinched between her eyes, trying to remind herself not to yell.

 

“Yeah, just under.  You seem upset.” Nick clarified.   His lapine partner looked at her feet as she began to talk, not even wanting to look at his smug face.

 

“You hustled my family… this whole town. You leeched Gideon’s meager profits.  You tricked everyone into thinking you were an amateur player thinking a bunch of backwards bunnies would all come to watch a fox get creamed by the Hopps family…  All this just for a fat stack of cash when all I wanted you to do was meet my siblings, see where I grew up and share a nice holiday with me.  Seriously, Nick?  I took you out here for the fresh air and new friends and my mom’s home cooking and all you could see was the next big score?  I’m _not_ happy.”  Judy looked up to let Nick explain himself and her heart dropped.

 

The expression on the fox’s face was not smug.  His eyes were wide, his muzzle slightly parted, drawn back in an expression that, best described, would have been physically ill.  His ears were pinned close to his skull and he was clutching his black t-shirt where his tie normally would have been, something Judy saw her partner do when he was genuinely upset about something.  She stepped back a little from him.  Then he stepped back a little.  Then a little more, and then he turned suddenly and walked right out the front door, leaving the bunny alone in the living room.  She looked at the quietly closing door with wide eyes. 

 

“Crap.” Judy said with a sigh and headed for the door.  Okay, so apparently she was too hard on him, but what did he expect?  This was her family.  It was her home town.  This was perfectly normal to him, but she hadn’t expected it!  She opened the door and walked out on the porch and found herself alone.  She stood there, ears high, eyes wide.  “Nick?” she asked.  He was nowhere to be seen.  Her heart began hammering heavily in her chest.

 

He ran.  Oh no, he ran.  No no no.  She made him run.  Her hand went to her chest and her back hit the front door.  He left.  It was like the press conference, she said something awful and he left.  She suddenly felt like she was standing on the edge of a vast abyss looking down and tilting forward against her will.  Her mind was spinning.  He couldn’t just leave.  She had to go back to work; she had to have a partner.  She had to go back to the city and since day one Nick had always been there, even before they were friends.  There wasn’t a Zootopia without that fox.  She had to catch up to him and clear the air!  She wasn’t wrong.  But she had to be wrong; she wouldn’t let this hurt their friendship.  Normally she would have been furious as being the bad guy after what her partner had done was forced on her but all she could think about was his back as he went out the door, no different than when she watched him leave the ZPD the day of the press conference.  Three months without him and she’d been miserable the whole time and she wasn’t even very close to him then. She held her muzzle as she ran to the steps.  He wouldn’t just leave, she was being irrational.

 

She jumped off the porch and then stopped, pulling her ears back.  He could make a lot of distance in the dark; she couldn’t hope to catch him by just running.  Where would he go?  Where _could_ he go?  He didn’t really know the town that well.  Judy’s ears perked as she heard a soft thump, like someone jumping down from somewhere.  She turned and looked at the house.  Nothing there.  A moment later, she heard it again.  Her sensitive ears were her only advantage.  She went around the side of the house, through her mom’s garden carefully and out to the back yard.  She heard the soft thump again and found the source.  Nick was laying on his back underneath the hammock.  He had been unsuccessfully trying to get into it.  She sighed, her heart slowing and her mind calming.  Being able to see him made him no longer ‘missing’ from her life and it was a huge relief.  She cursed at herself for how worked up she’d gotten.  She walked casually over to him.

 

“What are you doing?” she asked.

 

“Holding down the back yard.” Nick stated grumpily.  He was definitely mad at her.  Her ears fell back again.

 

“Need help getting into the hammock?” she asked.

 

“No, I obviously have that under control.”  The fox clasped his hands over his tummy, staring up at the clear night sky as he remained on the patchwork grass that could grow under the shade tree.

 

“Nick, let’s talk.”  Judy sat down beside him.

 

“No, Carrots, let’s not.  Go inside and get some sleep.  It’s late.”  Judy gritted her teeth, actually hurt by the tone.  Nick was _really_ upset.  Did she get it wrong?  Had she misunderstood?

 

“Nick, if you want to discuss this in the morning I’m fine with that, but come inside, don’t just lay here in the dirt, okay?” she asked helpfully.  Nick sucked in a deep breath, and then spoke a lot softer.

 

“I need to be out here.  The last thing you need is to be worried about some borderline criminal skulking about your house in the dark.  Lock the door when you go in, will ya?” he asked coldly.  Judy gripped her chest.  She had attacked his integrity.  However justified she might have felt being upset about him opportunistically making some extra spending money, she actually accused him more damagingly than her grandfather had done.  Judy suddenly felt sick.

 

“Nick, you aren’t a criminal, you’re my partner.  Why are you saying stuff like that?” she asked, but knew exactly why he was saying it.  She had pretty much just accused him of it.

 

“Judy…”  He spoke her name softly and then rolled onto his side, facing away from her.  Judy put a hand on his shoulder.  Not his back. She didn’t want to look at his back.  It still felt like he was going away.  She was actually alarmed about how she was fixating on that.  He sighed and spoke again.  “Look, it’s not going to fix anything talking about it.  What was said was said, okay?  I thought that you, more than anyone else in the whole world, could see that I had changed.  That you knew the low-life day-skulking confidence mammal with a crappy future was not who I was anymore.  I thought you believed in me more than anyone else, Fluff, but what I heard in there just now made it obvious that I am not so far from my past as I had hoped I could be.  Maybe I will never be able to outrun it.”  He started to get up.  Judy grabbed the base of his tail, making him grunt.  “Let go, I will find somewhere else to sleep.”  The doe’s breath hitched.  She couldn’t help it.  He was leaving.  He wanted to leave and all she could think of was how he wouldn’t come back.  It didn’t matter if that seemed irrational, her heart had latched onto the idea of losing her best friend and she just buckled a bit and tried to keep from crying and utterly failed.  What a mess.  Nick turned suddenly at hearing it.  “Shit.” He stated flatly.  “Look, I’m mad, okay, let me be mad.  I’ll get over it.” He said, placing a hand on top of her head consolingly.

 

“You’re leaving.” She said in a tight squeak.

 

“Yeah, to find a quiet place to sulk, okay.  My feelings are hurt, I’m a big fox, and I’ll deal with it.”  He pulled at his tail.  She wasn’t letting go.

 

“Don’t leave me.” She squeaked again.  Judy felt so low right then but she couldn’t help it.  Three months he was gone.  She had hurt him and almost lost him.  He had said it then too.  He thought she had believed in him and she didn’t.  And he left.

 

“Judy, I’m just going to sleep and I will feel better in the morning, let go.  I’m not going to leave.  Help me into the hammock and I will just sleep here if it makes you feel better.”  He pulled at his tail again.  She gripped it tighter as if a mugger were trying to take it from her. 

 

“You left!” she cried.  Judy felt her chest tightening up.  She felt like she couldn’t breathe, what the hell was wrong with her?  He was saying he was fine he just needed to get over it but she had just been so horrible to him, her mind would not let go of the fact that she was horrible to him before and…  “You left and you didn’t come back!  I don’t want you to go!”  She cried.  Nick folded his ears back, suddenly looking horrified.  He grimaced and then just wrapped his arms around her scooping up the bunny and pulling her to his chest.  She sucked in a deep breath as she felt a wave of intense relief flood her. 

 

Nick spoke in a whisper, his voice filled with regret.  “Oh my god I gave you abandonment issues.”  Judy pushed herself tighter against his black shirt and sniffled, trying hard to get herself under control.  She was literally shaking.  Nick clutched her tighter.  She heaved a few breaths and then relaxed a bit. 

 

Judy sucked in a deeper, calmer breath and said softly,  “I’m sorry Nick.  I didn’t mean it like all of that, I promise.  Honest.  I just…  I know how you lived before.  How you made your money, and it seemed so much like that.  I know it’s not like it was even dishonest, but you don’t have to live like that now.  And you certainly don’t have to do it when you are having a break; you worked so hard this past year.  You deserve to not think about anything but goofing off and hanging out with your friends.  It’s all I wanted.”  She wiped her wet eyes on her sleeve.  Nick leaned back again, lying out under the stars with Judy clinging to his side.  She let go of his tail finally.

 

“Look, I didn’t want to talk about this because while maybe you think it’s going to help, you are not going to feel better when we talk about this.  I promise you, you are not going to feel better.”  His words were very resolute.  Judy sat up, a hand placed on his chest as if to make sure he stayed pinned down right where he was.

 

“Why?  Why is it going to make me feel any worse?  Nothing’s worse than messing up my friendship, Nick.  I am not happy about hurting you.”  She looked intently into his eyes as he gazed up at the stars through the limbs of the shade tree, what few he could see.

 

“Oh, it can get worse.” He said with a sigh.

 

“Then it’s on me if it does.  We put this under the bridge Nick.  We don’t go to bed angry, and we don’t go to bed on the ground under a hammock that you have still not made friends with.”  She indicated the stretched mesh above them.  Nick closed his eyes.

 

“Okay, but remember you wanted this.”  He put his hands behind his head, still looking up at the stars.  Judy knew he didn’t see them like this back home; he seemed to really enjoy looking up at them.

 

“We can sit on the hammock.” The bunny stated softly.  “I’ll help you get up there.”

 

“If I get in that hammock I’m not leaving it.” Nick said.  Judy nodded at that and plopped down beside the fox, hands under her head in a position that mirrored his, looking up at the stars as well.

 

“Okay, go.  Do the damage, then.  What’s gonna upset me about it?  You made some cash and pissed off a bunny, we can go from there.” 

 

“Let’s start with what I did when I took your grandfather back to Honey Acres.” Nick began. Judy thought that was an odd place to start, but she nodded with a soft vocal affirmation.  The fox continued.  “So, your grandpa thought I was gonna eat him, he was pretty sure.  I told him that we were not going to Honey Acres and he said he knew that, he wasn’t a dummy, told me to not eat him in the car because it still had trade in value.  I drove him to a hotel.  He said he didn’t want to get it there either because it wasn’t fair to the room service mammals.  He’s real picky, you know that?”  Nick chuckled.  Judy grumbled.

 

“Not a funny subject, Nick, what’s this got to do with me being mad about you working when you were supposed to be taking a day off?  Certainly it’s got nothing to do with you being a champion Munch player and not mentioning _that_ to me, so I’m not following.”  Judy wondered if Nick was telling an anecdote to try to soften her up.  She didn’t have time for that, it was late.

 

“Oh trust me, it does.  So, I took Otto with me to the hotel.”  Judy nodded, following the story at least, and also noticing that he really was insisting on calling him Otto.  He had seriously not gotten that close with her grandfather.  That was completely out of the question.

 

“Okay, but I suspect you didn’t eat him, you don’t have rabbit on your breath.” Judy mumbled.  Nick laughed at that and shook his head. 

 

“No, we were there to see someone else.”  Judy sat up.  Someone else.  She knew who else.  Her partner took Pop-Pop to see the bunnies that he’d saved.  Was it to impress upon he eldest Hopps that he was a good fox?  That seemed like it just exploited the Tubers a little but it was certainly not an unreasonable way to sway the elder Hopps buck.  He was big on the high opinion of his neighbors.  Image meant a lot to the Hopps family and their standing in their community.  It was a big enough deal that when her dad married her mom they kept her mom’s name.  Hopps meant something in Bunnyburrow.

 

“Okay, so you went to see the Tubers.  I take it they buttered him up a little about foxes?” Judy asked understandingly.

 

“Before I took Otto upstairs, I gave him an envelope that just said “Hopps Family Farms” on it.  I knocked on the door and told him he was to give that to Doc.  Your grandfather was a little confused, even skeptical but he said sure, he was gonna die shortly so running errands before he went wasn’t a big deal.”  Judy blinked at that.  An envelope, why would Nick give…

 

Her heart sank hard.

 

“The money…”  Judy’s words were pained.  She messed up.  She messed up so damned bad.  She put her little paws over her terrible trash talking, fox-bashing little mouth feeling suddenly like the most loathsome creature in Bunnyburrow.  Nick folded his ears back tightly, eyes closed, not even looking at her. 

 

“See Fluff, I knew you didn’t want me working on my vacation, I knew all you wanted me to do was have fun, but… I know from experience what it’s like to suddenly not have anything.  I wanted to help.  You kinda warped me like that.  I’m ruined for life.” He laughed.  Judy was not laughing.  She cupped her whole face in her little hands.  He gave them the money.  He was always gonna give them the money.  She treated him like dirt and he had just given three thousand five hundred dollars to a family in need.  He had just finished doing that and he had every reason to come home looking smug and happy.  Nick was absolutely right about this not making her feel better.  Judy felt like crawling into a well and not coming out.  The russet mammal beside her sighed a little, seeing her change in posture.  “Anyway, it’s not much money in the scheme of things but I know it will be enough to get the kids some clothes and keep them eating something other than cucumber sandwiches for the next few weeks until they get things squared away.” he explained.

 

“So the cover charge was…”  She offered with a dry throat.  She needed to be sure.  For how bad she felt right then, she needed to be sure.  Nick nodded.

 

“The reason so many rabbits came was because it was a donation drive for the Tuber family.  And Gideon put up half the earnings from his stand, since the ingredients were not free and all, and added that.  That almost doubled the donations.  I didn’t want to say that I played Munch a lot when I was younger because I felt like part of the draw, part of the charm was that it seemed so unique that an actual fox was playing the game.  No one had to know I was pretty good at it, it was supposed to just make the match more exciting.” Nick explained.  Judy sat there, looking at the ground for a while, her ears pressed out to the sides by the bottom of the hammock.    She turned away, her back to his side, not wanting him to see how upset she was, but she deserved to be.  She finally spoke in a near whisper.

 

“Nick, I am so sorry.  I am such a terrible friend.” Judy squeaked.  Nick sighed, pulling the sitting bunny back down against him so her head was on his chest, her body perpendicular to his, feet sticking out from under the hammock itself.  She felt the rise and fall of his chest and he breathed.  It really did make her feel better.  At least she wasn’t worried about him just leaving anymore, but she could not imagine how much it had hurt for him to be treated that way by his best friend after everything he’d done.  “I can’t ask you to forgive me for this, but I do want you to know I understand what I did, and I really am sorry.” She whimpered, pulling a sleeve over her eyes.

 

“Oh don’t start that again.  I forgive you Carrots.  I’m irritated about where your mind went first with this, but it’s not like I was communicating with you or anything, I know how it probably looked to you.  That’s why I said I was mad but I would get over it.  I meant that.” He rested his bare, darker-toned arm over her middle as she rested against his chest, the fox still looking up at the stars.  Judy quietly watched them with him.  Judy finally broke the silence again.

 

“What did Pop-Pop say when he realized what he was helping you do?” Judy asked.

 

“His attitude about me changed, if that’s what you are asking.  The donation wasn’t coming from me; it was from Hopps Family Farms.  He realized as Doc, in tears, counted the money that I was pinning value to his family name and getting nothing for it and he just… changed his mind – said I could call him Otto now.” Nick said.  The doe sniffled at that.  She could not imagine it.  Not in her whole life could she have imagined her grandfather changing his mind about something he believed so firmly.  Nick did a powerful thing though.  Her grandfather was conscious of the image of his family and Nick showed he was conscious about it to.  Fox friends were not harming the Hopps family name.

 

“So he’s pro-fox now?” Judy asked.

 

“Nah, just pro-Nick.  He complained about Gideon the whole time back to the home.” Nick laughed.  “He swears Gideon is putting drugs in his pies to addict people and that he’s growing it somewhere on the property.  He suspects Gideon’s gonna try to steal his daughter from Stu and foxes are gonna run the farm.” Nick laughed.  Judy groaned.  She then smiled, crossing her hands over her tummy.

 

“Being a fox is hard.” She cooed consolingly to her partner.  Okay, so it was not a full reversal, but still, it was more than she could have hoped for out of her grandfather.  At least he didn’t want Nick to die in a fire.  The doe sat up and looked at her partner, placing a small paw on his stomach.

 

“Nick, I really am sorry about tonight.  I ruined part of your well-deserved vacation because I didn’t just talk to you, I assumed.  And that was wrong of me.  I promise I won’t-“  Nick put a hand on Judy’s hand and a finger on her muzzle.

 

“Nah! Nuh uh.  You don’t get this blame all by yourself.”  He sighed, looking back up at the stars.  He pulled her back down against his chest and she stretched out a bit more, using him as a pillow.  His tail drew up and curled around her a bit, covering her front as a soft breeze added an obvious nip to the air.  If he was chilled, he had to assume she was too.  It was very considerate of him.  She had barely gotten near his tail before this trip and now it felt like she was being smothered by it.  Was he more comfortable with her, or was it because she was just not avoiding it?  Nick continued, breaking her out of her musing.  “Carrots, I am not so starry-eyed as to think my entire life before was just a dream.  I was not a good mammal.” Nick said softly.  Judy did not interrupt him.  “I know that I am not just going to go through life and never have to remember how I treated other mammals, how I presented myself, how I made other foxes look.  You are not wrong for thinking that looked like what it looked like.  I know you don’t think I am a bad mammal, Carrots, but… I don’t want to just not be a bad mammal.  I want to be how you showed me a mammal could be.”  The bunny cupped her muzzle again.  His mom was right, he was so sappy.

 

“Promise me you will talk to me, Nick… even if you think I won’t like it.” Judy asked, stroking his tail over top of her.  She was glad it didn’t get shredded during the munch match, it would not have kept her very warm if it had been.  Nick nodded at that.

 

“Sure, okay, only if you promise, and I know this is hard since you bunnies are dramatic, please don’t just assume I am ever, _ever_ going to leave you, because I’m not.  After all we’ve been through, you are stuck with this fox.” He laughed.  Judy laughed softly too and nodded.  She felt ashamed at how she’d broken down about that.  Did she really have abandonment issues over the incident at the press conference?  She didn’t have a lot of friends growing up, no one she was that close to who wasn’t family.  It was her first experience with someone just walking away from her.  Maybe she could talk to Sammie about it, she might be insightful and she’d certainly not be judgmental.  Judy hated feeling powerless and terrified the way she did only a few moments before and knew it was not a good look for her from Nick’s point of view either.  She sighed softly.

 

“Thank you for talking to me about it Nick.  I would not have slept well if we didn’t.”  She noted.  They would have to get up and head inside soon.  It was very late and a bit cold, they could not very well stay outside for the night.  It was just, that peaceful feeling was flooding her again and that warm tail flopped over her front was only enhancing the sense of security that came with it.  She decided to ask something else that had been on her mind through part of the evening while they were putting all their cards on the table.  “So Nick… Did you let the bunnies win to make the match more satisfying for the folks who donated?” she asked.  Nick laughed at that.

 

“Oh good lord no.” he offered.  “I have to _live_ with you after how that match ended; you think I’d have subjected myself to _that_?  You gloat for days when you score higher than me at the _long jump_ during PT.  A bunny. Beating a fox at the long jump.  How scandalous!” he laughed.  Judy laughed to, then rested both hands over his tail, smiling brightly.

 

“So wait, hold on, does that mean I, on my own, legitimately beat a champion Munch player as the last bunny on the field?”  She remembered back to the sound of his mother’s surprise. It was three scores on the power-playing fox in a position that usually meant the last minutes of the game and nothing more than a final call of ‘Munch’.  Judy’s aggressive tactics had been effective in pulling a win out of a seemingly hopeless void and now that she understood it was from a trophy-winning fox it held a lot more meaning.  Oh damn right, there would be gloating, fox.

 

“Don’t get too cheeky, rabbit.” Nick laughed back.  “A champion I might have been, but that was nearly twenty years ago!  I’ve not played in a long, long time.  We were still evenly matched because we both train for our jobs, but yes, your skill beat me.  That was not a present, Carrots.  Just don’t expect to have such an easy go of it next time, I will be going after you first and unrelentingly just to get the maniac bunny off the field!”  Judy laughed heavily at that.  She would do it, she thought.  She would play Munch with Nick again.  She bet her siblings would love the chance as well.  They all seemed to have so much fun.  The fear and self-loathing that she had felt was creeping away, as if drawn like bad water into the sponge that was Nick’s flopped warm tail.  She felt more and more covered by that relaxed, familiar comfort and contentment.  It had been a long day.  She was so tired.  She closed her eyes a moment.  It wasn’t long, she was sure, but she just wanted to revel in that contentment a little longer.

 

“So, like… Is your mom wanting to come over to chat with us, or is she just gonna stand there like that?” Nick asked, ears perked.  Judy’s eyes bolted open and she looked down in the direction of her feet which pointed toward the back porch where her mother was standing with her hands together, wringing them as if trying to figure out something to say.  She was certainly too far away to have heard their conversation, and could only see how they were laying and seeing them talking and laughing laying under a hammock together on a starry night.  And Nick’s tail was wrapped around the fretting doe’s eldest daughter.  Judy looked in horror at her mom who, realizing she had been spotted, flattened her ears with a flustered expression and darted inside.  The younger doe put her hands over her face and groaned.

 

Why?  Why, why, why?

 

“Being a bunny is hard.” Nick expressed in a consoling tone.


	10. Counselor

 

**Guardian Blue: Season One**

Episode 10:  Counselor

 

 

 

Judy woke up in her bed, the scent of dryer sheets on her blankets having faded, or at least she’d become nose-blind to them.  Instead she could smell something akin to violets.  She pulled her hands to her muzzle, curious about it.  She then sat up, remembering.  She had been petting Nick’s tail while it was draped over her.  That was how his tail smelled.  She drew at the scent again curiously.  She’d always been told foxes were musky and that the scent was supposed to be unpleasant but that didn’t seem so bad.  Maybe it was some kind of fur shampoo that he used. She got up, wiping her hands on her pillow self-consciously.  The scent clung to her small fingers tenaciously.  She would wash her hands when she got to the bathroom.  She stretched, feeling very rested.  She had been so out of it the previous night that she dropped off immediately upon reaching her room.

 

“Good morning, Judy.  Sleep okay?”  Her father was passing her room as she exited it.

 

“Pretty good.  Lazy fox still sleeping?” she asked.

 

“Nope, he’s helping Bonnie with breakfast in the kitchen.”  Stu smiled.  Judy cupped her muzzle, getting violets again.  She put her hands down by her sides.  She hoped her mom was not embarrassing him, especially after the running-gag-level compromising position she spied them in under the hammock.  She went to the bathroom first, washing up a bit and then to the kitchen to see if her partner was curled up in a ball under the table yet. 

 

“Well I don’t see what the big deal is, I mean, he is what he is, folks should pay attention to his acting ability, which I admit is off the scale.”  Bonnie was talking to Nick about something.  Judy spoke up to join in the conversation.

 

“What’s the topic?” she asked. 

 

“Jack Savage.” Nick explained.  Judy perked up.  She loved that bunny’s action and spy movies.  She had gotten Nick to watch a few with her.  He claimed to never remember who he was but she knew he was just messing with her.  Nick owned two of his movies that she knew of.  He liked action.  Bonnie spoke up.

 

“He’s put both feet into politics.  It was in the paper this morning.  There’s a chance he might even run for mayor.”  Judy widened her eyes at that.  She knew Savage had been vocal alongside Gazelle after the Nighthowler incident but she didn’t think he was seriously becoming political.  Her partner spoke.

 

“Your mother seems to think that he will embarrass bunnies because he is not a politician and might stumble on the more official actions befitting a mayor.  I think he can’t do any worse than the sheep or the well-meaning if law-breaking lion.” Nick explained.

 

“He’s great at what he does!  He doesn’t need to be what he’s not.”  Bonnie said. Nick looked a little stunned.  He gestured to Bonnie.

 

“Hey, it’s Zootopia, anyone can be anything.  If an actor wants to become mayor he just needs the votes.  Besides, I think his views mirror most of the public’s for the most part, and that’s the biggie, right?  More than the Swinton lady.  She’s on the dole, you know she is.” Judy gritted her teeth, not wanting Sunday to become a political discussion.

 

“How about a fox?” Bonnie asked. “Do you think any foxes might make a good mayor?  Anyone that you would vote for?” she asked. 

 

“Mom, being a fox doesn’t mean a fox would want to vote for them.” The younger doe chastised.

 

“No, that’s fair, I mean, it’s why Lionheart even put Bellwether in the position she was in.” Nick explained.  “Actually, I don’t know many foxes.  I sure as hell wouldn’t want the job.  Not the life for me.  I could barely stand all the attention after the Munch match.”  He shook his head.  “I don’t think most foxes go for that sort of thing, so it’s gonna be one of the more social mammals.  I think a bunny would be real sensitive to public opinion and the like.  Not to seem pointed or anything, but you guys do at least _look_ like you are listening.” Nick chuckled.  Judy slid her hands up her ears.

 

“So you’d vote for Savage?” she asked.

 

“Probably.  Out of the choices I know of.” Nick stated.

 

“I might too if he were up against Swinton.” Bonnie admitted.  “But Jack’s gonna get driven through the mud about his parentage.  That doesn’t cause a problem for him as an actor, he’s exotic, folks like that.” Bonnie shrugged, “But in politics it becomes a liability.  His dad’s a hare and his mom’s a striped hyena.  Either side will claim he falls with loyalty to the other and it’ll cost him votes from both sides.  I just don’t see it really happening.”  Judy nodded at that, at least.  Mixed species offspring were pretty rare to begin with, but that was a very exotic one.  The outgoing and charismatic buck made it work _for_ him instead of against him in his acting career but politically it would be another story.  She hoped that he could at least bring the policy discussion to the table.  He was a big proponent of the Mammal Inclusion Initiative that brought Nick and Judy both their lives as police officers. 

 

“Hey Nick!” Charlie called out as he came through the front door with Stu.  “Did you do the thing with the stuff?” he asked.  Nick chuckled at that and nodded.

 

“The secret is out.  Judy did not take the whole not knowing thing well and the truth had to be told.”  Nick laughed.  Charlie nodded with a grin.  

 

“What are they talking about?” Bonnie asked.

 

“The donation to Doc’s family.” Stu answered with a grin.

 

“Oh yes… So sweet of all of you, thank you for doing that.” Bonnie said.  Judy inwardly growled.  Everyone knew except her apparently.

 

“There’s another truth that must be set free.” Angela said as she entered with Sammie behind Charlie.  Judy’s eyes widened in panic.  Not in front of her parents, that was not what she agreed to!

 

“It wasn’t promised to everyone.” Nick said.  Judy sighed with relief at the fox, but then flattened her ears.  Her parents would want to hear too if there was a secret being told. 

 

“The Mill then?” asked Angela.

 

“Wait, you can’t just not tell us, what are they talking about?” asked Bonnie.  Stu shrugged, not knowing this time.

 

“Nothing like the information you were deprived of before Friday’s video, just an embarrassing incident that happened to Judy.” Nick explained.

 

“Please…”  Judy shook her head.

 

“Oh we will get the scoop one way or another, kids.” Stu laughed.  “But head on out, they have those shuffleboard tables set up; you guys will have fun with those.” Judy’s father informed.  Bonnie stomped a foot at her husband interfering in the immediate gossip.

 

“If we’re going, I’m getting a beer this time.” Nick stated solidly.  “They had a blueberry ale, I saw it on the menu last time.  I want to try it.” He flicked his tail about, causing Sammie to look.  Judy had to stifle a laugh.  She wondered if it was specifically foxes, or just tails.

 

“It’s nasty, I’ve had it.” laughed Charlie.

 

“I still gotta experience it.” Nick added as Judy followed him out the door.

 

“Mom’s gonna go crazy knowing there’s a secret anything that she doesn’t know.” Judy stated flatly as she joined everyone outside.

 

“Yep, and I said it when I said it on purpose.  Leverage.” Angela laughed.

 

“What makes you think I’m gonna be okay with you ever telling her?” asked Judy.

 

“When has a secret existed that she failed to figure out on her own anyway?” Angela asked as they got into the wagon.  “I call shotgun.” the black doe stated. 

 

“That’s three of us in back, is there room?” Nick asked curiously.

 

“If someone sits on someone’s lap.” Sammie stated.  Judy flinched.  Really?

 

“No, I think there’s plenty of room, I will sit in the middle, I’m the smallest.” Nick’s partner said sternly.  Okay, so it wasn’t just fluffy tails.  That was embarrassing.  Nick didn’t seem to be bothered by the obvious flirt hurled his way.  The white doe sat on the left side and Judy got in the middle and Nick got in on the right side behind Angela.  Charlie started the car and it trundled off toward town.

 

“Okay, so Nick, spill the beans.  What about the Missile place?” Angela asked.

 

“Mystic Spring Oasis.” The fox corrected.

 

“Yes, that.” Angela agreed.

 

“What’s this all about?” asked Sammie.  Judy groaned.  She never agreed for Sammie to know but it seemed pointless to argue it.

 

“When Judy and I first met, she needed me to help her with a case, as I think you know.” He offered.  The car was silent and Judy rested chin in her hands.  She would not resist this.  It’s the least she deserved after the mess the previous night.  She’d be nice to the fox.  “She needed help finding an otter, but I didn’t know where he lived or anything, I just knew where he went after he bought product from me that day.”  Nick leaned back, pulling his tail into his lap and running his fingers through it for grooming it seemed.  Judy flattened her ears back.  Surely he was not actually teasing Sammie.  He promised.  But he was watching out the front of the car, seeming to do it absent-mindedly.  The white doe appeared to just be looking his way as he spoke, not focusing on him otherwise.

 

“What kind of product?  Wait, you weren’t selling drugs back then or anything, were you?” asked Angela.

 

“Nah, I specialized in snacks, particularly refreshments and healthfoods, I just didn’t have the most conventional way of getting my ingredients, you know – to maximize profits, I assure you. All perfectly safe.” He nodded.

 

“You poured melted Jumbo Pop into paw prints in the snow.  I don’t think that was entirely safe.” Judy stated.

 

“We ran a tight ship!” the fox scoffed.  “Anyway, I was selling pawpsicles that week in Sahara Square and Judy came up and threatened to jail me for tax evasion if I didn’t help her.” Nick explained.

 

“Were you evading taxes, Nick?” asked Sammie.  She seemed concerned.  Her oddly coveted fox, a criminal?  Surely not.

 

“I was evading the hell out of some taxes.” Nick answered honestly.  “I’ll be paying that mistake off forever.” He rolled his eyes.

 

“Oh goodness.” The white doe said.

 

“The oasis, tell us about the oasis, we’re almost in town!” Angela insisted.  Charlie laughed, coming to one of the few stoplights in town.

 

“Okay, well, the otter she needed to find went into a club called the Mystic Spring Oasis.” Nick explained.

 

“What kind of club was it?  What did they have there?” asked Angela.  “Not a shady kind of place was it?  Oh it was, wasn’t it?  Dancers and smoke of all kinds, I can only imagine.”

 

“Well.” Nick said, grinning beside him to Judy.  “They had games like shuffleboard.  They had physical therapy.  They had a spa.  They had yoga classes.  They had volley ball and tennis and a big swimming pool and pretty lounging areas and shade trees and a fruit buffet that was to die for.” Nick explained.  The buck behind the wheel spoke up, his brow furrowed.

 

“Wait, that doesn’t sound embarrassing at all.  That sounds like a really classy place, Nick.” Charlie interrupted.  “Judy was ashamed of that?”  Angela looked back behind her at the sulking rabbit in the middle as well.

 

“It does sound lovely.” Sammie stated.

 

“Well, it was not what they had that was off-putting to your sister.” Nick explained.  She sighed.  He was drawing this out just enough to add weight to it and make it funny.  “It’s what they didn’t have there that made the experience less inviting to your sister.” 

 

“What, they didn’t have lemon lime soda?” asked Angela.  That got a snort out of Sammie.  Judy rolled her eyes.  She liked lime soda, who didn’t?

 

“See, they had anything you could want for a club, but they uh…”  Nick looked beside him at the narrow-eyed doe as he milked this.  “They didn’t have any clothes.”  The car swerved a bit on the empty road, causing a gasp from everyone as Charlie burst into laughter.  He got it under control and everyone laughed heavily. 

 

“So what, like… you guys had to strip down too?” Angela asked.  Sammie looked at Nick, then Judy and her soft white fur made the blush on the albino doe easy to pick out.

 

“No!” Judy groaned.  “No, we weren’t members and I was in uniform.  I was on duty for crying out loud.”

 

“Are you a member, Nick?” Sammie asked.  Judy lowered her head, palm to her forehead.  Because of course she wanted to know that.

 

“I got a trial membership, yes, but anyway, we had to go talk to this elephant who was doing a yoga class-“ 

 

“Wait, what?” Judy asked, looking up at Nick.

 

“Well the spa treatment is amazing, Carrots,  and Otterton invited me, they can bring a guest on the first Thursday of any month.” Nick nodded.

 

“Carrots?  What?” Sammie asked.

 

“It’s a nickname, Sammie.” Charlie stated.

 

“You’re okay with being called… Carrots?” she asked.  Her voice was very concerned.  Judy gritted her teeth, she didn’t want the psychology expert thinking Judy was involved in some kind of abuse!

 

“It’s fine, Sammie.  No mean connotation behind it, I promise.  At least, not now.  We were not friends right away. Certainly not when he dragged me into a nudist retreat without warning me.”  She looked back at Nick.  “So like, you’ve been in that place in the buff?  Was this recently?” she asked.  He had never mentioned this.  Why had he never mentioned it?

 

“What, everyone there is like that, it’s not like I’m out of place.” He stated.  It was not a satisfying answer at all.

 

“You didn’t even tell her what kind of place it was, you just took her in?  Ahhahahahahaa!” laughed Charlie.

 

“The elephant yoga class, come on, we’re almost there!” Angela groaned.

 

“Oh yeah, so, they are doing a yoga class and I take your sister to talk to them to try to figure out what happened to the otter and oh my goodness, the positions they were in and all Judy’s training about keeping eye contact when interviewing witnesses was for nothing.”  Judy groaned.  It was so embarrassing.  The car stopped and Judy shoved Nick out of the car.  The damage was done; they all knew her suffering in that place.  But now she found herself considering what might have been nice about it.  Sure, she had no intention of going into a place and disrobing, but perhaps another spa might be nice.  Her conversation with her mother the previous day came back to her.  She was living for the city, and doing nothing for her.  Maybe joining a day spa or something might be a nice thing to do for her sanity.  She had a little extra money, she didn’t have to get a year-long membership or anything, and she could just treat herself. 

 

Everyone went into the Mill and they kind of dispersed with the kind of comfort only family had.  They were there together but this place was as familiar to Judy and her siblings as home.  Judy moved over to a table, dedicating herself entirely to a future that included cheddar onion fries and an ice cold cider.  Nick ordered his blueberry ale and took it with him as he and Charlie decided to give shuffleboard a try.  The fox commented on how absolutely correct the buck was about the ale, but made a point of drinking it anyway because blueberries died for this disaster of a beverage and he would drink to their memory.  Charlie apparently had not played shuffleboard before, but Nick knew all about it.  Angela joined them, insisting that she play the winner but it was likely because she didn’t want to admit there was a game she didn’t know how to play and she’d learn by watching first.  That was kind of her style.  Judy expected Sammie to want to stand behind Nick, but she sat by Judy instead.  Judy checked her phone, having a few messages from Nick’s mom concerning folks reactions to the Munch pictures at the diner, and a picture of two of Nick’s trophies that she dug out.  They were not small trophies. 

 

“Sorry if I have … caused a problem.” She said as Judy waited for her food.  Judy arched an eyebrow curiously, distracted from her phone by the unexpected apology from someone she didn’t think owed her one.

 

“What?  What do you mean?” she asked as Nick laughed as a weight made zero attempt to stop with a good firm push from Charlie.  He’d get the hang of it but fortunately the fox was focused on teaching and not teasing.  Angela seemed less interested as she saw how little actual athleticism was required for the game.  One was rewarded for a weaker push, it seemed.  Judy and Sammie looked back at one another and the doe looked down at the table.

 

“I didn’t know.  You and Nick, I mean.”  She said softly.  Judy groaned, ears down her back again.  No, not Sammie too! 

 

“Mom said something?” she asked.

 

“What?  No.  Does she know?” asked her white-furred sister, red eyes round with wonder.

 

“What?  No!  No, I mean, it’s not… Mom thinks it is, but… Why do you think that if Mom didn’t say something?” Judy asked.  She looked forward to not having this conversation ever again.

 

“You put yourself in the middle, and he gets to call you that messed up nickname.  I just figured…”  She touched her fingers together.  “And you know.  The scent.”

 

“We’re not.  But I’m serious, I was the smallest, I work in the middle.  Wait, what scent?” Judy asked.  Sammie leaned in, whispering.

 

“Fox musk.  I smelled it on you when we got in the car.” The white doe had an expression that just screamed scandal.  Judy’s ears fell back.  She washed her hands, she couldn’t smell it on them.

 

“I got it from grabbing Nick’s tail, Sammie, I thought I washed it all off.” Could everyone smell it?  Why didn’t anyone say something?  Now she was in public!  She smelled her hands.  She couldn’t smell anything but lemon soap.

 

“It’s not on your hands, Judy, and that’s why I guess you can’t really tell…”  Sammie looked down at the table.  Judy quietly waited for an explanation.  “It’s on your muzzle.”  Judy’s eyes widened.  She had cupped her paws to her face to smell them when she was trying to figure out what it was, and while she had washed her hands she didn’t bother to wash her face.  Of course she was nose-blind to it; the smell was on her nose!

 

“Oh crap… Do you think anyone else noticed?” Judy asked.

 

“I doubt it, none of the others would likely recognize it for what it is.” She stated.

 

“Wait, then how do you know what it is?” Judy asked, narrowing her eyes skeptically.  Did she just get tricked into confessing she had fox-musk on her?  Sammie leaned in, whispering very softly as Angela took a turn against Charlie with shuffleboard.

 

“It may come as a surprise, sis, but I’m actually a teensy bit attracted to canids, and foxes are on the list.” She admitted.  Judy flattened her ears back. 

 

“Okay, yeah, I suspected, but I mean… you have _experience_ with it?” she asked.

 

“I had a fling, sure.” She said, looking down.  Judy sipped her cider a bit heavier.  She had not expected this.  At least she was not the focus of _this_ conversation.  She was afraid to ask much more about it.  “I met him at work, and as you will recall where I work, it obviously was not gonna… go anywhere.” Sammie explained with a roll of her eyes.  “But it gave me some experience with such things, sure.”  She nodded.  Judy leaned back, incredulous.

 

“I would not have suspected.  I didn’t even know you were dating anyone.” She was actually really happy for her sister.  Given her somewhat unusual appearance and her social peculiarities, she was worried that Sammie might have no confidence.

 

“So you don’t have feelings for him at all?  I mean, you won’t glitch if I am friendly?” she asked.  Judy choked on her cider as she’d been taking a drink.  Okay, it was back on her.  She looked side to side as she considered that. 

 

“I don’t think Nick’s really interested in a relationship, if you are wondering that.” Judy offered, not wanting to see her sister make the fox uncomfortable now that she realized it went a little deeper than curiosity or infatuation.

 

“Okay, that’s fine, but what about you?  I mean, you are with him every single day, you don’t feel anything?”  She leaned in curiously.  Judy felt suddenly less comfortable.  Was she giving off weird signals?  Mixed signals?  What was everyone’s deal, she loved Nick to death but she never thought of him like _that_!

 

“He’s my best friend, Sammie.  The best I’ve ever had.  He’s as good as family, and he’s kind of all I’ve got in Zootopia so yeah, we are close.  That’s why Mom thought… but I mean, it doesn’t have to be like that.  Just because he’s male doesn’t mean it has to be like that.” She explained, sipping her cider again.

 

“Judy, he’s all you’ve got in Zootopia.  It’s natural to _feel_ , you know.  You don’t have to be worried about that.  Whatever you feel, it’s not wrong.”  Judy rolled her eyes at her sister.

 

“I’m starting to feel like you all _want_ this to be a thing and I’m sitting here being a big disappointment.  Okay, so I have a few hang ups but they aren’t romantic.” Judy sighed.  She didn’t know why she was even saying it but this particular sister was bound to understand better than pretty much anyone else.

 

“Like what kind of hang ups?” the red-eyed white doe asked.  Judy flinched.  Of course she would ask.  But it was Judy’s own fault for offering.  The fries arrived and offered a little bit of a distraction at least.  She looked over at Nick and Angela playing shuffleboard since she appeared to have won.  She was taking far too long lining up her shot and Nick was finishing his terrible blueberry ale.  After carefully eating a few cheese-covered fries and nibbling a sliver of fresh white onion, Judy spoke up to her intently listening sister.

 

“Well, like... I panicked when I thought he might leave again because I upset him.  Abandonment issues maybe?” she asked.  “I literally felt like I was being squeezed to death at the thought of it, that’s pretty much a hang up, right?” she asked quietly.  It sounded pretty straight-forward to her.

 

“Uh… Not really.  Do you think about him before you sleep?” Sammie asked.  Judy gritted her teeth.  Okay, that struck too close to the mark.  She seemed to realize that Judy reacted to that.  “Do you like being near him if you are tired?” she asked.  Judy shivered a little.  Oh god.  There was a problem.  She knew it.  Something had gone wrong and she was messed up.  Her sister was a counselor, there was a reason she’d know. 

 

“Y… yeah.  That stuff.  Why?  What is it?  The fox finally drove me crazy.  I knew it.” She whined.  Sammie screwed her face up and then laughed a bit then shook her head.

 

“No, silly bunny, it’s not crazy, it’s actually pretty normal in an extraordinary situation.” She offered.  Judy drew from her drink again, feeling suddenly that she really needed it.  She had another fry.

 

“What… situation?” the bunny cop asked.

 

“You live alone in the city.  You act brave, you have the training, but you’re still a bunny.  It’s scary.  It’s big.  It’s loud.  You are vulnerable.” She stated.  Judy furrowed her brow at her sister.  That didn’t make any sense to her.

 

“Uh, I am more than capable of taking care of myself there.  I don’t have some need for a male to keep me company, Sammie, I just told Mom this too.”  She had a couple more fries.  If Nick saw them they would be in danger so she enjoyed fresh ones while she could.  Sammie continued to talk in her hushed tone.

 

“Consciously you know that Judy.  Mom and I know that too, but our subconscious is not known for communicating well with our conscious.”  She leaned back.  Judy peered at the white, slightly heavier doe as she helped herself to a fry as well.

 

“So what’s going on subconsciously?  Something that would make me have a panic attack because I think, without good reason, that my partner’s gonna just disappear?” she asked.  She didn’t care about what this was, she wanted to get rid of it.  It was a liability to her, Nick ended up having to deal with the fallout from it last night and she did not want a repeat of that any time soon.

 

“You may have a Security Attachment, Judy.” The bunny stated.  “It’s not rare at all for rabbits if they are in a stressful environment where there are few options for security.”  Sammie stated knowingly as she ate another fry, picking around the cheese.  She never really liked cheese.

 

“So what’s that mean, I subconsciously need Nick to protect me?  I have to save his ass all the time, he does not fill me with a sense of confidence against the evils of the world!” Judy laughed, then quieted herself, not wanting to attract attention.

 

“Not exactly, no.  See...”  The white rabbit grabbed a few more fries.  “… Bunnies are like most mammals, we need food, water, shelter, the usual stuff on the ol’ hierarchy of needs, but the block that says ‘security’ is bigger for bunnies.  I mean, way bigger.  Most of the time there’s a lot of other bunnies around and we can be close and social, and we sleep near one another - even as siblings and we take mates and have families and there’s always plenty of companionship and you aren’t really ever alone that much.  Jude, you are from a big family, even by bunny standards, so you grew up with that kind of security.  Then you moved to Zootopia.  No brothers.  No sisters.  Just you in an apartment with one door and one window in a place that you are actually completely aware of the elevated crime rate because you have access to the reports.  That is not comfortable for you.  You deal with it.  You make it work for you because it’s what you want but your subconscious self is not happy about that at all.  Then there’s a fox.  Normally this would be a red flag, and no source of comfort for a bunny, but this fox provides the things you used to get from family.”  Judy looked down, munching a couple more crisp white onions.  Judy kept an eye on the others as they seemed to be finishing their drinks.  They would wander over for food soon, she figured.  She whispered again, somewhat dismissively. 

 

“Okay, sure, he does, but I mean, he’s a friend, bunnies have friends.  It’s not a big deal right?  It isn’t a problem or anything, I really don’t want to embarrass myself around mammals and make them think I have some kind of problem, Sammie.” Judy explained.  “Especially if it would end up making Nick feel guilty about it.  How do I fix this thing?”  The other doe leaned back, looking at her sister with a bit of confusion.

 

“What?  Judy there’s nothing to fix.  It only needs fixed if you form the attachment on someone who’s not fulfilling that role.” She took more fries.  Nick was going to be sad when he got there.  Judy partitioned off some cheesy ones for him.

 

“Okay, but he’s a fox.  I mean, nothing against Nick, but that’s not what he’s supposed to be for.  He’s not there to nurture my weird attachment issue. I don’t want to dump something like this on him; he shouldn’t feel like he’s responsible for me.” The elder sister said firmly.

 

“Jude, if he didn’t already fill the role you’d not have formed the attachment in the first place.” Sammie said in a scolding tone.  “Ask yourself these questions.  If I’m hungry, would he feed me?  If my apartment flooded, would he have me sleep on the street, or would he give me shelter?  If I were threatened, would he fight for me?  Your needs for security are being met, and there’s nothing about it that’s wrong, sis.  He’s your friend, like you said, and nothing about that is different today than it was yesterday, but if you didn’t understand how he affected your need for security, you might do something unnecessary like distance yourself from him to try to keep from feeling these perfectly normal things and that would only hurt you both.  It’s good to _know_ what’s in here…” She pointed to her head, “But it doesn’t always need to be fixed.”  That actually made a lot of sense to the fox’s partner and she sat quietly and mulled that over for a bit, holding a naked, cheese-less fry in her fingers as she found comfort in being told at least she wasn’t being crazy.  Judy jumped as she felt a hand come to rest on her shoulder.

 

“Hey, you didn’t eat all of them did you?” Nick laughed, “I always share with you!  Oooh, cheese.”  He helped himself.  Judy blinked at her partner.  Her sister seemed to really know what she was talking about, and Sammie smiled at Nick too, not minding that he was kind of invading her space.  Judy felt a little better knowing there was not something completely weird about her attachment, it was normal, but she still felt it was not very fair to Nick.  She would try to be a little more independent.  It would be easier now she was at least more aware of it, she felt.  Charlie and Nick and Angela sat down, ordering food and enjoying some of the fries as they spent the early afternoon laughing and teasing and melting away the tension that Judy had felt.  It was perfectly normal. There was nothing odd about it at all.  Nick was family.  He was a fox, but he was family. 

 

The grey-toned doe decided not to ask her kind albino sister if being jealous of affectionate family members was a normal part of a security attachment.  It made sense that it would be a part of that and not something entirely separate since it suggested someone might take away Judy’s security.  She would guard her security, and that made sense.  Besides, Nick said he didn’t like the shy timid sort of girl.  Sammie didn’t want to get her hopes up only to have a disinterested fox letting her down.  And Nick would feel guilty because it was Judy’s family he was hurting, that was right off the table.  It made perfect sense for her to be protective of her family too.  She certainly did not want to make Sammie feel like she was creating a problem after she had just helped, but fortunately she did not seem to flirt so heavily with Nick, and everyone seemed to have a perfectly great time, leaving Judy quite satisfied with her lazy Sunday afternoon. 

 

Tomorrow she would be heading back home and she could get back to her completely normal life without all this crazy relationship-examination and distraction.  There would be plenty of work, cases to solve and she would have all her fun memories of her vacation.  As she enjoyed a shared veggie wrap with Angela, she took a picture of Charlie, Angela, Sammie and Nick all together, laughing.  He really did feel like family like that.  As crazy as it had been, she did not regret for a second bringing him here.  She got to share her home town with him just like she wanted.

 

Tomorrow would be another day.


	11. Mal Diem

**Guardian Blue: Season One**

Episode 11:  Mal Diem

 

 

 

 Sunday night was more about seeing the few remaining Hopps siblings, the younger ones that had been watching the game but then vanished off to friends’ houses afterward.  Pete, Tanya and Billy, ages nine, ten and fifteen respectively, were happy to meet Nick but seemed initially a lot more shy about meeting someone new than the older Hopps family members had been.  Nick didn’t seem to mind this, and was both friendly and not crowding to them, staying where he was and letting them look, ask questions, and in young Tanya’s case, touch his ears.  She seemed enthralled with how he twitched them and flicked them about.  Her ears went up, laid back, and that was about it.  The flicking was a neat trick she appreciated.

 

Nick answered questions about foxes, about hot big they got, how many of them were in Zootopia, and that yes, there were a few towns that were pretty much all foxes.  He told them about things he liked to eat, he told them about how much he liked blueberries and excitedly claimed to have emptied the blueberry bushes outside (which he had not actually done).  Dinner was had, more typical rabbit fare but Nick did not seem to mind.  Judy knew he intended to see his mom soon and all his favorite protein dishes would be waiting for him there.  The bunny toyed with the thought of trying to make his favorite shrimp dish for him, but decided against it because she was trying to kind of wean herself from her security attachment to her partner despite her sister telling her it was not necessary.  The last thing that Judy wanted to do was put some emotional bunny load on his shoulders like that.  She didn’t want to drive him off if she genuinely needed him for her life in the city!

 

Fortunately the day went without much notable happening.  Nick and Stu played cards, Judy assumed it was poker, but she was not much of a card player herself.  Her mother and her sisters played trivia which was a favorite for her free time.  They had even played a few times via Muzzletime when the connectivity allowed.  Nick had a fair amount of cider and happily wandered off to bed at a reasonable hour and Judy had a good talk about her work and the nice things she felt she was doing for the city.  She talked a lot about the fluff jobs that she had become a little more appreciative of after Nick had made it clear what the ‘long game’ was all about, and even though her partner was pretty well within ear-shot, she talked a bit about how good he was with kids, and how much he wanted to make a difference where it counted.  Judy and her sisters, Sammie, Jessie, Tanya, and Eli, as well as her mother all played another game of trivia after Nick went to bed.  Stu wandered off to play poker on the family computer as it could not be knocked down by the cider.  This left the ladies of the Hopps family alone.  And so the conversation took a predictable bend with Sammie imbibing a lot of cider herself.

 

“I’m just saying, Nick’s a pretty fox when you compare him.  I mean, I wonder how he figures to other foxes…”  Judy looked over her own cider glass as her mother cast a wary glance at her white-toned daughter.

 

“Feeling foxy, Sammie?” she asked.

 

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” She giggled to her mom, making it clear to Judy this was not entirely a secret from other family members even though she had just found out about it a couple days before.  Judy spoke up to take Sammie off the hook since she had helped with her own confusion from earlier.

 

“I think his mom’s pretty, and he has her eyes… He looks a lot like her.” Judy said freely.  Why not?  It was true.  She searched her phone and found a picture of the two of them together.  Bonnie in particular was eager to see, and agreed that they had a lot in common.  Sammie spoke up again.

 

“So, mom told me that he was…” she sipped her cider again.  “… Like, he thought his mom had passed and you went and brought her back.  How did he even react to that?  I mean, I’d have just broken down.”  Judy regarded he sister quietly a moment.  Nick probably had a deep dislike for telling someone else that she got to him.  She softened what his response had been since they really did not have to know he had been so emotional.

 

“He was shocked, yes, and very appreciative.” Judy offered.  “I can’t deny it probably gave me a bit more leeway for being forgiven for mistakes around him.  His mom’s nice, and I think he really still needed her now that his life is back together.  He has every reason to be proud of how things are going and she’s exactly the right person to share his happiness with.” Judy explained.

 

“So he’s all legal now?  What about bad habits?” Sammie asked.  “He’s gotta have those.  He’s a lightweight so I know it’s not drinking.”  The white doe seemed to be stuck on the tax evasion thing from earlier, Judy was feeling.  Their mom spoke up, perhaps trying to spare her eldest daughter from having to share negative things about her partner, which she appreciated.

 

“Okay.  Your question, Jessie.  We were just talking about him this morning, this is topical… How many months did action star Jack Savage’s mother carry him before he was born?  One, three, or eight?”  Judy sat up straight, a good indicator that she knew the answer, but it was not her question.  Jessie rolled her eyes, knowing that one. 

 

“He only spent the last three months of his incubation in his mother’s womb; the first four were spent in the lab.”  She stated with confidence.  Her mother put another counter in the next-to-eldest daughter’s pile, the little shiny stones collected for correct answers and tallied at the end of the trivia game.

 

“You think he ever resents that?” asked Sammie.  The psychological aspect predictably figured in for her.

 

“What, resents that he cost like… twelve million dollars to his parents, or that they didn’t even get to see him grow up cause their plane went down when he was a kit?” Jessie asked.

 

“Well _that’s_ not very nice.” Bonnie said.

 

“I am not trying to be mean; I’m just asking if it would really be relevant to him.  He’s not exactly suffering.” The slightly younger grey doe implied.  Judy nodded ad murmured,

 

“I remember seeing an interview where they asked him if he would have rather been all natural and he said he didn’t think about it much because the fact that it took an army of geneticists and a ton of money to bring him into the world made him feel like his parents really wanted him.  So if anything, I think it only strengthened his convictions.”

 

“Still, gotta be kinda lonely knowing you can’t have a family of your own just because your parents wanted you to exist.  Science can’t really help him the way it did his mom and dad.” Sammie stated.

 

“I don’t think he minds, Sam.” Bonnie laughed, sipping her own cider.  “I mean, he gets to be a playboy and no one worries much about consequences, I doubt that’s a hard life.”  She looked to Judy.  “Your question.” She stated.

 

“Okay, go.” Judy answered.

 

“This one’s Bunnyburrow history, you should ace this one.  Why did maps of Bunnyburrow lead to the colonization of sheep in the north enough to later include them on the Bunnyburrow flag?”  She regarded her eldest daughter with expectation.  Judy grinned.  She had paid close attention in school, after all.

 

“All the maps were made of dyed wool!” She said happily.  

 

“Why does the brainiac always get the easiest questions?” asked Jessie. 

 

“Hey!” cried Sammie, who held an actual degree.  Bonnie and the other siblings laughed.

 

 

 

 

Monday was far busier as it was time to get packed up and head home.  Fortunately it was not so early a morning as the ride out had been, but Nick wanted to run an errand that was going to take a bit of time so they still had to get up pretty early.  Judy and her partner got the station wagon packed up with the intention of swinging back to pick up Stu who would take them to the train station, but the two officers went on their own at eight that morning to pick up a couple of pies that Nick intended to take directly to his mother’s place.  He would be transferring trains in Zootopia and heading north to New Reynard.  He was desperate to share some of the baked goods of Bunnyburrow with his mother and this seemed to really please Bonnie.  She helped make sure Judy and Nick got out the door on time.  Based on her enthusiasm Judy felt it might also be that she simply appreciated that Nick cared so deeply for his mother.

 

The ride to Gideon’s shop was relaxed, Judy was at the wheel and the roads were pretty calm despite that being the time when a lot of bunnies headed into town to work, those who were not in a field or a factory.  Gideon’s shop was not in town proper, it was just a little outside, a reclaimed gas station with the pumps all removed.  There was a little white decorative wood fence around the property and there were awnings over the window and the door, as well as a large white gazebo over where the fuel fill would likely have been when the place was a gas station.  It had been made up nice with light pastel colors and stripes that made Nick visibly cringe.  It was not that they suggested anything negative about foxes; they just seemed so garish among the natural colors around the countryside that Nick had been appreciating.

 

“Bunnies like those kinds of light, soft colors, Nick.” Judy explained.  “It seems odd to someone from the city and maybe more to a fox, but it’s pretty good marketing.  He knows his audience and he does alright for himself here, even if it’s not in town proper.” Judy noted.  She went inside and found the counter manned by a wide-eyed ferret whose head just barely cleared the counter.  Judy had not seen Travis for pretty much half her life.  He was smiling and seemed about as different as Gideon was from his youth.

 

“Well look who it is!” cried the slinky ferret.  “Oh, and you brought Mr. Wilde!  Saw the video of the match!  That was some fancy bunny-catching!”  He laughed.  “How can I help you two today?  Gideon’s in the back, rollin’ out the layers, as it were.  Need him?”  Judy could not get over how genuinely happy the ferret seemed  She understood that his mother was not in great shape, that’s why he was working there, but he seemed really content to be behind the counter.

 

“Well, we are actually shopping.” Judy stated.

 

“Pies.  One cherry, one blueberry.”  Nick stated.

 

“Wait, izzat Nick and Jude?!  Hold up!”  came a cry from the back. 

 

“We can’t stay too long.” Nick explained to Travis who beckoned at them to come on back.

 

“It’s alright, I’m comin!” laughed Gideon.  The slightly thicker vulpine regarded Nick and Judy for a moment.  “Headin’ out today, huh?  I hope next time you visit we can hang out a bit.  It’s been crazy for me the past few days.  I am sure you know why.” He explained.

 

“Saving bunnies makes you popular in Bunnyburrow?” Nick asked incredulously.

 

“Whoo-ee does it ever!” Gideon laughed, slapping a cloud of flour out of his pink and white apron.  “So, them pies.  I got two fresh made like yew suggested at the game, knew you wanted ‘em, hoped you’d not have forgotten.  Now don’t dare you reach for cash, I will make Travis eat it right in front of ya.”  Nick’s hand was at his back pocket and he slowly withdrew it.  He seemed to think Gideon would really cram a twenty in the ferret’s mouth.  “Way I figure, your mum shares this in town and maybe people want some deliverin’ done for special events an’ the like.  I ain’t gonna pass up word of mouth advertising out that way.  I been told New Reynard’s nice, I wanna see it, that’ll give me an excuse.”  He placed two warm boxes in Nick’s paws.  Judy considered that a moment.  She was pretty sure that Gideon would really like that little town, and didn’t think he knew many foxes out in the tri-burrows.  She thought it might be nice for him to get out there and make some friends.  He spoke again as Nick smelled the boxes with an elated expression on his face.  “Promise me we kin go bowlin’ or something when you stop back by, too.”  Nick nodded.

 

“It’s a promise.  If you can hurl a ball as well as you chuck a rabbit, we’re toast.”  Judy slugged him in the arm, making him squeak, and getting a loud laugh from Travis.  Judy and Nick thanked Gideon, and Judy made a point to actually hug the somewhat portly fox which he seemed surprised about, but she had been meaning to ever since he accidentally helped with the Nighthowler case.

 

With their task done, they got back in the car and headed back.  Nick talked about how nice Gideon’s shop was, and that he knew some foxes back home that would love to have an opportunity like that.  He was happy to see that the other vulpine was making the best of life in Bunnyburrow and that maybe it just got better while they were there.  Judy decided still to not tell Nick much about the other fox’s past.  It just would not do a single positive thing for Gideon or Nick.  It was a thing she’d remember, sure, but it was not relevant to anything in the present. 

 

The partners picked up Stu and he brought them to the train station, though there was a somber stop at the shell of the Tuber residence, all of them quietly remembering what had nearly happened there.  It was spooky to think that even a few minutes difference would have been a clear disaster for everyone involved, and something like that would have completely changed the nature of their visit.  There would likely not have been a munch game at all as Nick would have had no reason to play, and the mood would have been dark.  No, things turned out well, even with the house a total loss.  The Tubers were alive, the community came together in a lovely way to help him, and everyone had a lot of fun and Judy’s family had the admiration of the community at the end of it.  As bad as it was, it could not have gone better.  They took a moment to be glad things worked the way they did and then continued on.

 

The train ride back to Zootopia was busier than the one out, but it was not terribly packed since it was not the first train or the last train out of the burrows.  Nick remained awake for the whole ride despite Judy telling him he could sleep if he liked.  He glanced at the other passengers on the train (all bunnies) and stated that he wanted to guard his pies.  Judy slugged his arm for that.  She spent the ride doing crosswords on an app on her phone until her battery was critically low.  Judy did not like actually having a dead battery in case of emergencies, so she just watched the scenery go by instead.  Nick occasionally checked the news feed or chatted with Finnick on his phone but was otherwise content just watching the scenery like she was, or talking with Judy about work, coworkers, and her family which he now had better knowledge of.  Actually, Nick getting to know them opened up a lot that she would be able to talk about in the future so she was glad of that.  She had feared eventually having only work to talk about.

 

The ride also gave Judy some time to really digest everything that happened.  They barely got into town before they pulled bunnies out of a house fire, there was the encounter with Nick and the rope swing which made him happy enough that he’d actually brought it up with Finnick who absolutely did not understand the draw.  There was the Munch match which Nick surprisingly did not mention, but he _had_ mentioned that he wanted to show the video rather than spoil anything so Judy suspected that was more the reason.  He wanted to watch it with the smaller fox.  She was sure Finnick would laugh a lot at that.

 

Then of course, there was her grandfather and her terribly humbling mistake thinking that Nick was doing something unethical when he was emulating absolutely everything she valued.  It would be a long time before she felt she could make that up to him.  She felt at first that he was silly not to tell her, but began to understand why he had not gotten her involved as he distanced himself from any kind of involvement with the transfer of the money after the fact, seeming to want to imply that it was really a Hopps Family Farm idea.  He did not want this for himself.  It was very seriously only for the Tubers, and for those who donated.  Judy could understand that but still would make sure Nick understood that she really wanted to be involved in anything like that in the future.  He didn’t have to do these things alone, she liked helping too.  It was a big part of who she was.

 

Then there was the conversation with her sister.  She found herself dwelling on that a lot, not because Nick was doing anything that made her think about it, but because she felt guilty for putting anything like that on him.  She did not want to make him feel like she was pushing him away but she did not suspect that a fox, more comfortable on his own, would understand some bunny hang-up like a security attachment.  He was not a stuffed toy for some kit to latch onto for crying out loud.  Would he be offended?  Surely he’d be a little uncomfortable at least.  It was there, she knew it was there.  She could work around it, but at the same time, knowing that it was not a bad thing, a weird or damaged thing, did make her feel better.  She felt like Sammie had been right. Left on her own she might have worried that she was doing something wrong or misunderstood her feelings and how embarrassing would that be?  Still, watching Nick’s relaxed face as he checked Chitter and laughed as he re-chittered something to his strikingly plentiful followers was oddly comforting.  Just seeing him sitting there and being himself was calming.  She felt close to her friend, and there was nothing wrong with that either.  Sammie had been clear about that.  Judy leaned back and let her head rest against the window as she closed her eyes and just relaxed for a bit. 

 

They arrived at the central train station where Judy had first disembarked into Zootopia not much more than a year before, and Nick gave his partner a one-armed hug that he seemed willing to dole out occasionally on parting, and Judy nestled into it before pulling back quickly, trying to remind herself again that she did not want to push him away.  He flicked one of her ears and took the pies on to the next train.  Judy rolled her suitcase and followed the sidewalk along the many blocks back to her apartment.  She would charge up her phone and try to fill Clawhauser in on all the fun they had during his break, it was getting close to noon.  She padded along mindlessly, considering all the things that happened on her vacation. The thrill of Munch, seeing her siblings play and have fun with Nick and welcome him like he was family himself, it was exactly what she had wanted even if things were not what she planned.  The weekend had gone great and she was looking forward to another lovely day of rest before she returned back to work.

 

She briefly wondered if Nick would stay the night in New Reynard and come back in the morning since their shift was not until noon Tuesday, a measure taken in case there were problems with the train.  If he did that, she could go and see a movie, she was looking forward to seeing the new one about a haunted taxi that dropped people off in the wrong year, not the wrong stop.  She liked weird movies like that.  Nick was not much for scary movies, especially ones he called ‘head beaters’ where one’s own concept of reality was challenged. But she could still always go and see it herself.

 

Judy jerked suddenly as something pushed across her neck, making her stumble back at the steps of her apartment building.  There was yellow caution tape across the front entrance.  Her heart began hammering.  Had there been a fire, or some kind of attack?  There was yellow tape all over the city during the Nighthowler incidents, so she was immediately fearful of that.  While no more predators had been darted it was known that if the Nighthowler serum existed it could be made and used again.

 

Judy spotted a white sign posted on the double doors of the Pangolin Arms apartments.  She went under the yellow tape with her bag rolling behind and read the sign carefully.

 

_This property is hereby condemned by the City of Zootopia for failure to correct building code violations 1334B, 1673A, and 1199A.  Until such time as these major violations are corrected this structure is deemed to be unsafe for occupant dwelling.  Property retrieval may be done by appointment after the date posted._

 

Judy’s heart froze.  Her building was condemned.  She knew it was a bit on the shabby side but she would not have called it a death trap or anything.  She read the sign again, seeing a number to call for property retrieval, but that was kind of pointless since she had nowhere to take it.  Her pulse quickened.  Nick was on his way to his mom’s.  If she called him he’d probably turn right around but she didn’t want that.  She wanted him to spend some time with his mom.  Besides, if she was building some kind of dependency on her partner, moving in with him was sure to only amplify it.  She thought a moment, but her coworkers were all at work.  She had the spare key to Nick’s apartment, she could go there at least until Francine got home.  She was sure the elephant would be willing to let her stay a day or two until she got things ironed out with a new place to stay.  She could not help but feel more than a little angry about how unfair it was to suddenly be without a place to stay, and she bet there were folks worse off than she was living there that might even be out on the street.  She would talk to the chief about it and see if there was any kind of program in place to help her neighbors, or if the way it was handled, without so much a call to each resident, was legal.  It certainly didn’t seem ethical at least.  As she turned away from her apartment building in disgusted resignation, her phone rang.  It was her mom.  She picked up the call. 

 

“Hey mom, what’s up?” she chimed brightly.  She was _not_ going to tell her mom she was homeless.  Not in a million years.  It was bad enough that her mother disliked the apartment she was in, the fastest way to have them falling all over themselves trying to get out to Zootopia to pick her up was to tell them anything was wrong.  She could handle this little hiccup herself. 

 

“Hey Judy, are you back in the city safely?” she asked. 

 

She smiled and spoke loudly as cars went by, “Yep, just got in, heading to the apartment now.  Everything okay there?  How’s Dad, did he stop crying?” she asked.  She felt a little guilty.  It had been a year since she visited so he was a little broken up that she was leaving so soon, but she did promise she would be back much sooner the next time.

 

“He’s fine, everyone’s back to their usual routine.  So, I have an odd question, if you happen to know.”  Judy rolled her eyes.  Surely she was not trying to sneak into more relationship talk.

 

“I’ll try, what’s going on?” she asked.

 

“The pillow in Nick’s room…” Her mom said with an uncomfortable tone in her voice.  Judy continued walking at a brisk pace, having no idea where this was going.

 

“Yeah, what about it, same as pretty much all the other pillows.”  A car honked nearby at pedestrians sluggishly moving through a crosswalk at the end of the block.

 

“…Nick happen to take that with him when he left?”  Judy caught the last part of what her mom was saying.

 

“What?  No, I would think not, I am pretty sure he’s good on pillows.  He can get them in Zootopia too.”  Judy felt odd having to tell Bonnie that.

 

“I mean, it’s not there, and I don’t know where it would have gone.  But would it have fit in his bag?” she asked.  Judy felt a chill run through her. Surely her mother would not dare accuse her partner of stealing.  After everything he’d done!  And a pillow!

 

“No, it would not have fit into his bag, Mom, he barely had room for his own stuff.  He packed light but tight, as he says.”  She dismissed the thought outright, genuinely offended at the idea.  It bothered her much more given their misunderstanding the night after the Munch match.

 

“Okay, so he didn’t take it with him, can you think of a reason he might have gotten rid of it?  Maybe it got damaged.”  Her mother seemed intent on solving the mystery of the missing head cushion.  Judy narrowed her eyes, ears going back.

 

“Like what, it caught fire in the night?  What was supposed to have happened to Nick’s pillow, Mom?” she asked incredulously.

 

“I don’t know Judy that’s why I’m confused and called you.  Does he get nosebleeds?  Do you think maybe he chews on things in his sleep, some predators claw and bite in their sleep if they are dreaming.”  Judy stopped dead on the sidewalk.

 

“I’m sorry, for a second there I thought you put your dad on the line.  Are you kidding me?  Did Nick _chew up his pillows_?!  Are you serious?” she asked, genuinely furious.  She might expect that kind of question from her grandfather, even her father a few years ago, but never her mother.  “Mom, why would Nick chew a pillow in his sleep?” She could not believe she was having this conversation.  Judy’s mom met Nick.  She spoke with him.  He was kind and polite and everything one would hope a houseguest would be.  How could she even remotely consider that Nick damaged property in the house and hid it, much less did something so vulgar and base?  It was ridiculous and the mere thought that her own mother suggested it made her sick to her stomach.  She was already angry and this was not helping at all.

 

“Oh I don’t mean he went vicious on it or anything, but I mean, comfort, or some sleepy instinct.  The pillow would have smelled like prey so-“

 

“Mom!” Judy fairly yelled.  “Nick would never-“  She heard the phone beep.  At first, she was stunned, thinking her mother hung up on her, but then she realized that her phone battery died.  She groaned.  That was worse, now her mom thought she hung up on her in an argument and she would try to call back only for the phone to go to voice mail.  She had to get to Nick’s apartment quickly and charge it up.  She put her bag down a moment on the sidewalk and tried to turn on her phone just long enough to shoot a quick text at her mom to tell her that her phone died and she would call back.  As she did that, she felt a push as someone darted past her.  She looked up to see a cheetah in jogging shorts and a black pullover with a white cross on the back run by. 

 

“Hey!” Judy cried out indignantly and then realized he was carrying something familiar.  Her bag!  She just got her bag snatched.  Her clothes, the keys to Nick’s apartment, and her damned badge were in that!  She pushed her phone into her back pocket and was off like a shot.  The cheetah was still kind of jogging, having not expected a bunny to try to run down the large feline predator.  After all, there was a reason Judy was selected as the victim.  When he turned his head, the somewhat matted and grizzled lean, spotted feline saw Judy gaining fast.

 

“What the hell?!” he cried out.

 

“ZPD, stop in the name of the law!” the bunny shouted.  His eyes went wide and he put on speed.

 

“Oh you are freaking kidding me!  Why?!  Why _that_ bunny?!  Damn iiiiiit!”  His speed did not give him the same maneuverability as the bunny around the turns from block to block so despite not being as fast as a cheetah, having to navigate city streets and holding a somewhat heavy pack belonging to a pissed off police officer was slowing him down just enough for the seasoned and trained bunny to at least keep up. 

 

“The longer you run, the more miserable you will be when I catch you, so give up!”  Judy yelled.  She usually did not antagonize a suspect as she chased them but she was livid.  She could not remember being this angry in a chase before, and was actually trying to calm herself down.  This was how brutality cases started.  She was fleet of foot and keen of mind despite everything happening and the Cheetah was not having an easy time keeping any distance between him and her.  The cat seemed genuinely afraid when he looked back again to see she was actually closer. 

 

“Lay off, rabbit, what are you gonna do, fight me?  I ain’t beatin’ up a bunny, I’m above that!” he panted, still running, looking rapidly left and right, trying to find places to ditch her, perhaps.

 

“It’s easy, imagine I’m a bear, that way the pain makes more sense!” the angry bunny shouted, bouncing off a no-parking sign to dramatically cut her turn radius, putting her within a dozen or so feet of the cheetah.

 

“How about I put it down and we call it even!?” he cried, wheezing a bit.  This runner was made for speed, but not for distance, and Judy trained specifically for stamina.  She caught a lot of suspects this way.

 

 

“I’d rather run you till you puke!” Judy yelled, only just starting to pant.  He made a beeline for an open intersection, but even with the added speed, he was not a match for a bunny cop fueled by absolute indignant rage.  She had no home, her mom was mad at her and thought she hung up on her and this jerk thinks he can just take her stuff?  Not a chance.  Perhaps realizing his reduced chances of escaping the bunny with her bag, the cheetah suddenly turned as he reached the other side of the wide city road.

 

“I changed my mind, I don’t want it!” he yelled and hurled the bag back at Judy as she got about half way across the street.  She had little choice but to catch it since it was thrown at her.  She got up, dusting herself off a bit and glaring at the cheetah.  Judy scrambled back onto her feet, having skinned her knees on the pavement.  They would heal. 

 

“Oh you are going down!” she growled.  She pushed herself up on shaky legs, preparing to give chase.  She had such a lovely weekend.  Everything went crazy but worked out so nice.  She was not going to let the city take her good final vacation day away from her.  She had lost her home, fought with her mom, had her bag stolen and slammed in her face and had herself knocked into the street, she was going to put this bunny-targeting lowlife behind bars for this.  She lowered herself to the pavement to bolt after him, she bet she could still catch him even with the weight of her bag.  However, it all became moot as with a sad and sudden _thump!_   Instead of catching the perp… the bunny caught a bus.


	12. Residence

**Guardian Blue: Season One**

Episode 12:  Residence

 

 

 

 

Everything was disjointed and confusing.  Judy could barely grasp anything that was going on.  She was lying down, that was a task she was completing, yes.  The ground was very hot and she wanted to get up but she couldn’t make herself do anything, she was stunned.  Her face hurt.  The back of her head hurt.  Her shoulder hurt worse than the other two combined.  Someone was standing over her.  It was the cheetah she had been chasing.  She wanted to yank some of his spots off and stuff them up his nose.  He was upset.  Why was he upset, he threw her bag at her.  It was his fault, whatever this was.  He was yelling for help.  There were other people around.  Everything sounded like it had an echo and she had trouble understanding everything.  She could hear her own breathing.  She was panting, out of breath.  Had she been running?  Oh yes, the cheetah.  She was chasing him.  Where did he go?  There was a police officer.  Hey, _she_ was a police officer, she thought to herself.  Hello fellow police officer. Do I know you?  I do.  You’re Wolford.  Funny meeting you here.  Oh, you are controlling traffic and the crowds.  That’s a good thing.  What happened?  Was there an accident?  There were paramedics, they would help.  They put Judy on a backboard. 

 

“Where are we going?” she asked.  The lupine police officer leaned in, a look of concern on his face.

 

“Hospital.  You got hit by a bus, Officer Hopps.  Do you know what day it is?” asked Wolford as she was secured to the backboard that was much larger than it needed to be for a bunny.  The two gazelles lifted her up.  She looked around.

 

“I was chasing a cheetah.  He stole my bag.  I’m okay, I don’t need to go to the hospital.” Judy stated dizzily.

 

“I have your bag in the car, so we got that back.  I didn’t see a cheetah.  Hopps, what day is it?” Wolford asked again.  The large canid followed the bunny to the ambulance.  Judy’s hearing was getting a little closer to normalcy; there wasn’t much echo to it.  Unfortunately, as the stun wore off the pain set in.  She hit her head, and the side of her face hurt.  She held up one of her hands.  There was blood on it, but she didn’t know from where.

 

“It’s Monday.” She finally answered.  “Nick and I just got back from holiday at my parents’ house.” She leaned back, groaning a bit in pain.  Okay, yeah, she needed to go to the hospital.  Wolford helped the gazelles get Judy loaded in the back and they began clipping and sticking monitors to her.  She felt dizzy again as the vehicle started moving.  Then she felt like she was going to be sick.  She groaned that information to one of the gazelles who provided her with some off-pink bucket thing and she let loose in that.  She then thumped back down, head spinning and everything went black.

 

 

 

 

“Judy?”  The voice was familiar.  Where had she heard that?  Oh yes, it was Wolford, she had just been talking to him.  Where was she talking to him?  She opened her eyes.  It was a white and grey room which was kept a little dark because most mammals were a little light sensitive when they were injured.  She looked up and saw the uniformed lupine police officer standing by her bed.  Why was she in the hospital?  Then she remembered.  She got hit by a bus.  Wolford told her that.  She felt a wave of fear.  How bad was it?  How seriously was she hurt.  She never saw a bus.  It was this phantom thing she had no memory of.  Was it a big bus?  Of course it was, it was a bus.  What color was it?  Why did that matter, she wasn’t reporting the accident, there were officers on the scene for that.  She looked back up at Wolford. 

 

“I got creamed by a bus.” She stated flatly.  She looked at the bed she was in.  It was so much bigger than she needed, better for someone Wolford’s size.  They likely did not scale down the bed sizes very far since bigger was okay, too small was not.  A new voice chimed in.

 

“You remember then.  That’s a good thing, if not much fun for you.”  The other voice belonged to a slender female deer standing on Judy’s other side.  “You are very lucky, Officer Hopps.  I’m Doctor Lily Grace.”

 

“Yep, I’m feeling totally lucky.” Judy said softly.

 

“Are you in pain?” asked the cervine doe.

 

“I don’t… feel anything.”  Judy suddenly panicked.  “I don’t feel anything!”

 

“Calm down, Judy.” Doctor Grace said.  “You are going to be fine.  You have a concussion and some contusions, possibly tore something in your shoulder, definitely some inflammation in there, but no permanent damage.  You are not feeling much because of the sedatives and painkillers.  Bunnies don’t like to hold still when they wake up in a weird place and they love to panic and bolt in confusion as soon as they wake up when they’ve been in accidents, so there are definitely sedatives in your system.  They will wear off in a bit, as will the pain killers, I am sorry to say.” She regarded her charts for a moment.  Wolford spoke up in the offered silence.

 

“Bogo called Nick.  He’s on his way I think.  He called your family before that, but he asked them to stay in Bunnyburrow as your injuries were minor.  I took the liberty of charging your phone, as your mother had been trying to call it but it was dead.  I thought it was broken, but it took a charge.”  He held up Judy’s phone.  The wolf was gruff and cold dealing with crime in the city, but if anyone became his friend he was generous and kind.  He was one of the most social and outgoing mammals Judy knew but he kept that side of himself for after work.  Nick and Judy had not been close enough with him to regard him as a friend for very long, but Wolford had a love of games, card, board games, go-karts, he really seemed like a pup at heart and as a result seemed to get along well with Nick who was good with kits.  Judy smiled at him thankfully and looked at her phone.  She found 37 missed calls.  There were 33 from her family, and four from Nick.  There were eleven messages.  She took a deep breath.  Her mom would be freaking out and she was still trying to reconnect to the real world, so maybe she would call Nick first.  He was probably pretty worried if he was on his way back from his mom’s house.  She felt terrible for ruining his visit to her.  He probably hadn’t even gotten there before Bogo called him.  Were the pies ruined?

 

“How long was I out?” Judy asked, pulling herself out of that train of thought.

 

“Only about an hour and a half. Mostly from the sedatives and pain killers.”The doctor said before briskly leaving the room, seeming not terribly personable.  She likely saw hundreds of mammals in a day.  Judy inhaled again and dialed Nick’s number on her phone.  She never even heard it ring a first time.

 

“ _Judy_?!” came the tense voice from the other end of the line.  Judy jerked a little.  She had not expected the sound of sheer panic in her partner.

 

“Nick?” she asked, knowing it was him, but surprised at the level of emotion from someone whose motto was ‘never let them see they get to you’.  Though he had admitted in the past that she had the ability to do so, she did not expect him to sound that upset.

 

“Oh yes!  Yes yes yes!  Judy, are you okay?” Nick said, seeming suddenly breathless.

 

“Banged up pretty good, but nothing serious.  I doubt I will be at the hospital for terribly long.  I’m sorry you had to cut your trip to New Reynard short, I wish Bogo had not interrupted that.” She apologized.

 

“Judy, it’s alright, I am glad he did, he can always call with something like this, but he didn’t…”  Nick took a deep breath, seeming as if he needed to get his thoughts composed since he was almost hyper on the phone.  Judy could not remember ever hearing him that worked up.

 

“Take your time, I’m not going anywhere.” She chuckled a bit, and then wished she hadn’t.  The pain killers were definitely on their way out.  She wondered if the hospital would administer some more soon.

 

“Bogo…” Nick continued anxiously, “…he didn’t tell me your condition when he called, Ca- Fluff.”  He corrected himself, which seemed odd on the phone.  She perked up a bit.  If Bogo hadn’t told Nick her condition, he might not have told her parents.  They might really be freaking out.  She would have to keep this call short.

 

“I’m fine, I had a little accident.” She explained, trying to calm Nick down.  He thought she was hurt badly; no wonder he was surprised that she had called.  He might not have thought she would be able to. She felt better that she called him at least so that he wasn’t spending his whole train ride out fretting about that.  She knew how worried she would be if it were the other way around.

 

“Little accident?! He told me you got hit by a bus!” Nick fairly yelled, causing Judy to pull the phone away from her ear.  He seemed upset, perhaps at the chief.  “He said you got hit by a bus and you went to the hospital and told me what hospital you went to.  That’s it.  That’s all he told me.  I thought you might not even be…”  He stopped talking, taking a deep breath.  There was a pause on the other end of the phone.

 

“Nick, I will be okay.  I hurt my shoulder a bit, I got a concussion they said, and I have some bruises and a scrape on the back of my head, but I will pull through.  Take a deep breath, enjoy the rest of your train ride, and I will see you in a little bit.  How far are you out from Zootopia?” she asked.

 

“I’m still about an hour out.” Nick said.  “I dropped the pies off at the diner and I got right back on the next train out.  I think it was the same one I came on honestly.”  He sighed again.  “You keep comfortable.  Rest.  I will be there in a bit.  I can talk longer if you want…” he offered, perhaps in case just being in the hospital was upsetting to her.  She knew foxes did not do well in hospitals.

 

“I would not mind but I have to call my parents.  They have left eleven messages and called more than thirty times, so I gotta get them to stop freaking out.  Bogo probably didn’t tell them much more than he told you, but it seems he at least told them my injuries were not life-threatening.” She explained.  There was a pause on the phone.

 

“You called… me first?” he asked.

 

“Yes, I knew you were on your way here.  I…”  She leaned back.  Why did she call Nick first?  Her parents were obviously more desperately trying to get in contact with her and more of her family would likely already know and be worried.  Surely she wasn’t just dreading telling them she was okay, that didn’t make any sense.

 

“Judy?” Nick asked on the phone with soft concern.  His voice made her feel better.  She then winced a little.  Of course.  She had a security attachment to her partner.  She was hurt and needed to feel safe.  She smiled a bit at that.  It was not a bad thing.  She did feel better.  At least she felt like she could deal with her parents. 

 

“I’m here.  I called you first, yes.  I knew my call home was going to take way longer.” She gave as a mostly honest explanation.  It likely would take longer. 

 

“Okay.  I’m glad you aren’t hurt bad, Judy.  That was…”  He gave a pause on the phone again.  Judy listened carefully.  “…scary.” He admitted.  The bunny nodded, though he could not see her.

 

“Well, just know I’m okay, you don’t have to worry.  I will see you in a little while.”  Nick said goodbye and hung up the phone.  Judy then looked at her battery life.  There was about 25 percent left.  No getting out of this call.  She opened her Muzzletime app.  Her parents would want to _see_ that she was alright, and that she was not just a head in a jar talking to them.  They were peculiar like that.  It rang a couple of times and Stu’s huge nose appeared way too close to the screen.  Judy had to turn the volume down on her phone, fearful it would disturb other patients in adjacent rooms.

 

“Bonnie!  _Bon!_   It’s Judy, she’s calling!  Jude!”  Stu’s cheeks were matted, the emotional buck had obviously been crying.

 

“Hey dad.  Sorry about that.  I had to get my phone charged before I could actually call back."  Bonnie’s face pushed tight against her husband’s as she peered into the phone.

 

“You have bandages on your head, how bad, Judy, how bad is your head, are you able to move your feet?  Can you see okay?”  Her mind seemed all over the place.  She’d obviously been crying too.  Judy sighed softly and answered quickly, trying to talk a bit louder and more confidently than the growing pain was making her feel.  She did not want them knowing she was in pain. 

 

“I’m fine, everything’s fine.” The younger doe stated adamantly.  Her mom looked panicked.

 

“You got hit by a bus, Judy, your chief told us.  He said you would be fine, but run over, Judy?  You can’t just be fine.”  She pushed in closer to the screen.  Tears then rolled down her soft cheeks.  “Oh Judy I’m so sorry, if I hadn’t distracted you with those dumb questions about a stupid pillow of all things you’d have been able to pay attention to the road and you’d never have gotten hit!  When your phone disconnected I thought you were just mad at me, I never thought in a million years – oh I am so sorry!” she sobbed.  Judy widened her eyes.  Bonnie thought her daughter got hit while taking to her!  No wonder she was so freaked out.

 

“Mom-“ she tried to talk.

 

“I should not have even considered that Nick would do something like that, I know how upset you were, I don’t care about the pillow…”  Her mom continued to ramble.

 

“What pillow?” Stu asked.

 

“Mom.” Judy tried to interrupt again.

 

“It’s nothing, just a pillow, probably got misplaced in the laundry, Judy I take full blame for this, I won’t hear it any other way-“

 

“ _Mom_!”  Judy then cupped a hand over her muzzle, having not meant to yell.  Bonnie shut up.  “The accident was way after your phone call.  My battery died when I was talking to you.  I got tangled up with a thief on my way home and got hit while I was chasing him.  It was my own dumb mistake, I think. I don’t really remember getting whapped by the bus, but I promise I’m okay.  I have a concussion, some scrapes and bruises but nothing’s broken.  Heck I will probably be at work tomorrow.” She wanted them to calm down.

 

“No you won’t, I’m signing you off that till Friday at least.”  Doctor Grace had come into the room and Judy hadn’t noticed.

 

“Who is that, is that a doctor?” Bonnie asked,exasperated.

 

“Yes, are you her mom and dad?” she asked, leaning down to see the phone.

 

“Yes, give it to us straight.” Stu said seriously.  “Is she gonna be okay?”

 

“Next few days will be unpleasant without some painkillers so I will be prescribing those to her.  She will need to stay here overnight for observation, that’s standard when we have a hard bump on the head.  She will need someone with her when she is on pain meds, mostly just to make sure she’s not overdoing it.”  Bonnie spoke up.

 

“I can be there in the morning when she gets out.”  Judy rolled her eyes.  No, she would not get better for weeks if she were under the watchful eye of her doting mother.  She shook her head, flooded with a sense of dread.  Not that, anything but that!

 

“Mom, no, you stay there, I have things under control here.  I can stay with someone from work for a few days until I’m off the medicine.”  Her mind raced.  Nick could look after her.  Of course that’s what her brain threw out there.  Nick could not just take a bunch of days off work to take care of his partner, Bogo would blow a fuse.  She would try to figure something out in the meantime.  Her mother looked at her skeptically.

 

“You mean Nick?” she asked.  “Are you sure?  I mean, sure we trust him, but-”  The injured doe’s father spoke up, getting an annoyed look from his wife.

 

“Yup, him more than most, if he’s the one lookin’ after you, we know you’ll be okay.”  Bonnie was probably going to say something against the idea, but Judy’s father crimped her style.  Judy grinned.

 

“I will be fine, I will let you know if I need anything, okay?” she stated insistently.

 

“Your daughter needs to wrap up the call and get some rest.”  The doctor gazed down at the phone.  “I need to check her vitals for her charts and I can’t do that while she’s Muzzletiming.”  The doe held up a syringe.  Judy looked at it with trepidation.  She hated shots.  Stu hated them more however and hated even seeing the needle.  He spoke rapidly.

 

“Oh of course, yes, we will give you your rest, Jude.  You take care, and we are just a call away, alright?  You’re tough, but don’t try to do it all alone.  You let Nick take care of you, he’s a great guy.  Give Nick my number so he can call us if he needs anything.  We appreciate him!”  He ended the video call before Bonnie could do anything about it because of how uncomfortable he was with seeing the needle. 

 

“What’s that?” Judy asked.

 

“Another dose of painkiller.  Not as strong as what they gave you on the way over, don’t worry.  You will still be able to give them a call back, but I suspect you would prefer to rest instead.”  She smiled.

 

“Family.” Judy chuckled and winced.  Yeah, she needed the shot.  She looked away, gritting her teeth as she was given the shot.  For some reason it made her mouth taste funny, but the effects were quick, and she was soon relaxing more or less pain free.  She watched the news for a little bit and then changed the channel to game shows. As a kit, any time she was sick, they were something she really enjoyed watching.  She never knew why, but that feeling never went away.  They were so bright and colorful and distracting.  Perhaps it made her stop thinking about how miserable she was when she wasn’t feeling well.  This time the distraction of being in the hospital made it less enjoyable. 

 

She fidgeted, she looked at the channel guide, she tried to reach objects close enough to her bed, but a nurse told her to try not to move much.  She sighed and took her phone back out.  There was not a lot of charge on it but she went to her picture directory and began looking at all the pictures she took on their little vacation.  Why did it end like this?  Nick was clearly upset by Judy getting hurt and he had to drop what he was doing and come rushing back.  Still, seeing pictures of her partner made her feel better because they reminded her of recent happy days.  Running on the grass, grabbing his tail which she knew she was never supposed to do. Her being pounced by a fox which should have been horrifying but it was actually more thrilling than anything, like the rope swing.  It felt a little bit dangerous but with every bit of confidence of how it would go.  He didn’t even feel heavy over her, just soft.

 

Judy was not sure when she fell asleep, but she woke to the sound of her doctor’s voice. 

 

“You have some visitors.  Are you awake, sweetie?”  Doctor Grace, while being terribly busy, did seem to have a sweet manner about her if she tried.  The small doe looked at the taller doe and nodded, stretching a little.  The pain killers were still in effect but her shoulder felt tight and her face felt heavy.  That was going to hurt a few days at least.  As the doctor retreated to go tend to other patients, her partner appeared at the door.  He moved in slowly, as if afraid of alarming her or waking her or something.  She had expected Nick so she was not surprised to see him, but she was absolutely shocked to see Vivienne with him.  Suddenly his correcting himself on the phone earlier and not calling her Carrots made perfect sense.  The vixen stepped in, looking warm and kind.  Her smile showed she was just happy to see the bunny was okay.  Judy sat up, smiling back.  She was comforted to see the older vixen as she entered.  Seeing her getting up to greet them, Nick seemed to almost flicker across the room in how quickly and quietly he moved, and he was up on the over-sized bed, sitting beside her, perched at the edge. 

 

“Now hey, don’t get up, just relax.”  He put his hands on his knees.  “How are you feeling?”  He leaned in, looking at the bandage on her head.  There was gauze on the back where she scraped it, and there was a patch pasted tightly with tape she knew her fur was going to hate over her left cheekbone.  The left side of her face was swollen a bit which she could tell when she blinked.  Nick trailed claw-tips almost too softly to feel through her fur.  “Yeah, that….probably doesn’t feel great.  What happened, Judy?” he asked with slight anxiousness. 

 

“Vivienne didn’t have to come out here too, Nick, I’m sorry I’ve messed up everyone’s whole day.”  She sighed, feeling both a little helpless and a lot guilty. It was Vivienne who spoke up.

 

“Nonsense, Judy, you are family to us.  There’s no way we would just leave you laid up in a hospital all alone and not come see you.” The vixen said, coming a little further into the room, though she seemed hesitant to get much closer.  Judy considered again that Nick had said hospitals make foxes terribly uncomfortable.  But they were both here anyway.  And Vivienne called her family.  That made her heart swell with happiness.  She had bunny family, and fox family.  It was a nice, close feeling.  Nick spoke up again, a little louder, getting her attention back.

 

“Seriously, what happened?  How did someone with your attention to detail and your lightning quick reflexes have a city bus sneak up on her?”  The male fox seemed very adamant for an answer.  Judy looked over on the chair in the room where her bag was safely placed.

 

“Someone snatched my bag.  I was chasing them.  I had almost caught up to him and he threw the bag back at me and knocked me down in the street.  I got up and got ready to go after him again and never saw the bus.  Fortunately I don’t think the speed limit’s over 25 right there, so… I got lucky?”  Judy looked up hopefully and found Nick’s eyes were wide with shock.  So _that_ didn’t comfort him at all.

 

“You got… what, you got mugged?  _Then_ hit by a bus?” he asked, back teeth showing as he gritted them with a fearful expression.

 

“It’s not as bad as all that Nick.  I put my bag down because I was trying to turn my phone back on because my battery died when mom was talking to me and I wanted to message her so she didn’t think I just hung up on her and he picked it up right as I put it down.  He didn’t attack me.”

 

“Except to knock you down in the road in front of an oncoming bus!” Nick narrowed his eyes and actually bared his fangs a bit protectively.  Sammie’s words came back to her.  He’d fight for her.  He’d protect her.  Judy sighed.

 

“He came back to try to help, I don’t think he meant for that to happen.”  Judy explained.  She remembered that at least.

 

“So he was arrested?” Nick asked.

 

“No.  I think he fled right as help arrived."  That was not really surprising.

 

“What did he look like?  Did you make a statement?” her partner interrogated.

 

“Nick, calm down.  I will make a statement later to an on duty officer.  You are here now, off duty, with a friend.  I just want to not think about that stuff right now.”  She laid back indignantly.  She did not want him to make a fuss over her.  Nick sighed softly as well, and looked at his knees.  Judy saw his mother standing off behind him, still by the door, hands crossed in front of her looking a bit tired from the train ride perhaps, and watching the younger fox.  Nick spoke very softly, perhaps feeling bad that he’d hassled her about the attempted theft of her bag.

 

“You’re… okay though, right?  Nothing… messed up too bad?” he asked.  Judy folded her ears back, looking at Nick as he looked down at his hands which rested on his knees.

 

“Nick, I promise, I’m fine.  Are you okay?” she asked.  The fox sitting on the edge of her bed cleared his throat and gave his usual confident smile that he liked to hide behind. 

 

He spoke suddenly with a lighter tone, “Yeah!  I’m fine, Fluff!”  Judy saw motion over his shoulder and glanced up just enough to see Vivienne shaking her head with a concerned look on her face.  Judy’s eyes darted back to Nick, who was holding up his phone.

 

“Nick?” she asked.  Did his mother shaking her head mean… he was not fine?  Judy worried.  The fox beside her looked up then back to his phone.

 

“Sorry, hold on a sec.  I told Bogo I would text him when I got here.”  He ticked away at his screen with his claw-tips as he often did.  Judy glanced back up at Vivienne.  She was gesturing.  Did she want Judy to come over there?  She wasn’t supposed to get out of bed.  She realized what the vixen was pantomiming finally just as Nick sent his message to Bogo.  She was making hug motions.  Judy was supposed to hug him.  His mother wanted Judy to hug her partner.  The bunny’s heart sank.  He was really upset.  She sucked in a breath and moved carefully up onto her knees.

 

“Nick.”  The distracted fox looked up, seeming surprised to see her close.  He turned to face her, hands moving to her sides.

 

“Hey, you should be lying down.” Nick said caringly.  Judy put her arms around him.  If his mother thought he needed this, she was not going to deny it.  Vivienne would know.  He paused a moment, as if stuck, not sure what to do, hands still cupped at her sides.

 

“I’m okay Nick.  Thanks for rushing out here.  I’m sorry I made you worry so much.”  There was a little jerk from Nick, and Judy at first thought he was going to pull away, but his arms slipped around her and he shivered a bit.  She closed her eyes and hugged him a little tighter, and he held her close too, bringing his legs up to actually slightly curl himself around her, his tail drawing up and almost engulfing her with fox.  It was pretty much the way she’d seen Vivienne hug him when she brought them back together.  She put a hand over one of his ears, feeling terrible knowing how scared by this he must have been to need this.  At the same time she was completely aware of how that comfort and bliss flooded her in a tsunami of warm contentment at being held this completely.  She hadn’t been held like this before, the reason being a bunny could not hold her this completely.  This was certainly not going to help her attachment issues.  Even though she had been the one hurt, Nick seemed to have taken a little damage as well so she didn’t have it in her to try to get him to release her.  Judy looked over his shoulder at Vivienne who nodded to her, still seeming concerned, but she did smile at least.  She was glad.  She heard her partner’s strained voice again.

 

“He said a bus, Judy.” Nick whispered.  Judy’s heart went to her throat again, and she tried to push his rare showing of emotion out of her head.  He could be emotional with her.  He had been before.  It was allowed.  She was safe for him.  She nodded at that.  “A bus.” He continued.  “I know you are strong and I believe in you and everything, Fluff, but bunny versus mass transit generally ends one way.  That’s what I saw in my head as Bogo told me… And he couldn’t tell me more.”  He pushed his cheek against hers and she winced.  He pulled back a little.  “Sorry.  That side huh?”  He lightened his grip.  He looked at her while she was only barely winning a battle within herself not to cry, and he sat back a little, seeming to be a little less… lost-looking.  Judy spoke up, wanting to be positive and cheerful and lead the conversation more about what was happening tomorrow not what happened a few hours ago.

 

“So, hey, I should be out of here in the morning, so I won’t be here long.  But here’s the catch, the doctor does not want me to be alone when I take my painkillers, so I need to try to make arrangements with someone in the meantime…”  Nick’s expression faltered.

 

“I’ll stay with you, Judy.  I just need to make sure you don’t exit the apartment through a window or something.  I can manage that.”  He smiled helpfully.  Her chest tightened.  Helping her would make him feel better against whatever dark thoughts had made him so upset, but she didn’t want him to have to do that.  He rubbed his chin. “So, we get you out of here, we go to your apartment, and maybe just do a bunch of movies or something as you recover.  I know Bogo would understand.  It’s just a few days, right?” Nick asked.  “I have two days off accrued still.”  Judy’s eyes widened as she remembered something oh-so-critically important.  She could not believe she hadn’t even thought about it once.

 

“We can’t go to my apartment.” She said with a distant, lost tone.

 

“What, did you buy a loaf of bread?  Put it out on the fire escape, then I will fit in there just fine, tail and all,” he explained. Judy saw Vivienne’s expression drop as if she thought it really was that small.

 

“Har har, Nick.” Judy said, rolling her eyes.  “No, I don’t have my apartment, that’s the problem.”  Nick’s eyes went very wide.

 

“What?  What do you mean you don’t have your apartment?” he asked.

 

“Just what I said.  While we were in Bunnyburrow apparently the city condemned my building.  It’s locked down.  I was heading back to your place to wait for Francine to get home and see if I could stay at her place…“ Judy began to explain but stopped as Nick bared his teeth a little and put his fingers on his temples as if he suddenly had a headache.

 

“Wait, hold on, hold on… I was out of the city for an hour and a half and you ended up wandering the streets homeless, got mugged and then run over?” he asked incredulously.  Judy flattened her ears back and decided not to tell him she got into a fight with her mom too.  All together it did sound pretty pathetic.  She grumbled.

 

“Not one of my better days.” Judy glowered at Nick.

 

“You’re staying with me.” His tone was flat and blunt.  The doe widened her eyes in surprise.

 

“Nick, I can’t ask you to do that.  I can get it figured out.”  The fox looked at her blankly.

 

“You aren’t asking me to do anything, I’m telling you.” He stated.

 

“You don’t have an extra bed, Nick, I can’t – “

 

“I will take the couch.  This is not a debate, Judy.  You are around me all the time; we already know one another’s mannerisms, habits, all that.  You would do nothing less than this for me and you know it.”  The vulpine crossed his arms in front of her defiantly, as if to dare her to think of another option.  She looked back at Vivienne and she just shrugged.  No defense there.  Judy sighed at that and lay back down.

 

“Okay, you win.” She murmured.

 

“Damn right I do.  Now I must make a victory lap… to the restroom.  I've needed to go since I got _on_ the damned train in New Reynard.  Be right back.”  And with a shuffle, Nick was out of the room.  Vivienne drew closer, as if Nick being there was somehow keeping her back.  She hugged Judy gently as well.

 

“I am so glad you are okay, Judy.  That was a real scare.  Please don’t get run over anymore.”  She stated.  The bunny sighed softly at that again.

 

“I’m sorry again for you having to come out here.  Are you going to try to get back tonight?  It’ll be crazy late getting home.”  She felt so guilty.

 

“No, I’m staying the night at Nick’s apartment, I don’t have work tomorrow or the next day so that’s covered.” She explained.  “Thanks for comforting him a bit.  Judy, I didn’t come just to see you.  I came because I … I was worried about him.  I haven’t seen him as upset as he was in like… ever.  I didn’t want him to be alone.  Bogo really should have called him back and updated him or something.  He was absolutely panic-stricken.”  Judy frowned at that.  Maybe she wasn’t the only one with an attachment issue.  She shook that thought away.  Nick was far too self-sufficient and aloof for that.

 

“Are you okay with me staying with him for a little while, Viv?” she asked.  “Till my apartment mess gets sorted?”  The vixen looked at her blankly.

 

“I imagine I would be fine with that, I don’t live there.” She laughed lightly.  Judy then furrowed her brow, not sure why she asked that.  She felt like her mom would be against it, but she had her own reasons.  Vivienne didn’t really have any.  Judy then smiled weakly.

 

“You don’t worry about your son sharing his home with the undisputed source of disasters natural and unnatural?” the bunny asked.

 

“Oh, when you put it that way…”  She hugged Judy again.  “Nah, it’s fine, maybe your disasters always cancel each other out when you are around one another.  It seems like things are better for the whole city if you are running around with him.  Maybe next time he visits, you come on down.  Annie wants to see you again.”  Judy blushed slightly at the playful consideration that she could not leave Nick’s side, and she laughed, wincing a bit in pain. 

 

“Okay, I will come visit soon, I promise.” she stated.


	13. Box

**Guardian Blue: Season One**

Episode 13:  Box

 

 

 

 

The aging armadillo fumbled with the keys for what felt like far too long as Judy stood with Nick at the padlocked front doors of her apartment building.  Vivienne had taken an earlier train home after checking up on Judy with Nick a few hours before the hospital released her.  The bunny found her shoulder to be very tender and difficult to move, so she would not be doing any heavy lifting for a bit if it was possible to avoid it, so Nick came to help her get her belongings.  There was still a bandage holding the bit of gauze to the back of her head and her arm was in a blue and white sling.  He held skeptically in his paws a single collapsed cardboard box.  He watched as the door was finally unlocked and he thanked the dour and less conversational mammal for meeting them there to let them in.  As they walked up to her apartment, Nick taking his time and going slow as his partner’s hip was a little sore too, she considered her morning up to that point.

 

It had been fairly busy.  Wolford came to take the report about the thief who tried to take Judy’s bag, but said little would likely be done about the theft because he didn’t keep it.  However, assaulting her with the bag was another story.  Judy also made a couple of phone calls concerning her apartment building and found that, in fact, there was a law broken.  The owner of the building had been made aware of the possibility of the building closing and was responsible for a percent of transferal fees, be it hotel or other accommodations while the repairs were being done.  However instead of doing that the right way he defaulted on his loan, declared bankruptcy and skipped town without even telling the tenants that the place was about to be condemned, something that by law he was supposed to have done within 48 hours of the notice he received.  That was 90 days before.  The police would be looking for him, meanwhile Bogo was looking into what could be done to help the other people who were suddenly out on the street and felt confident something could be done.  Not everyone had a fox who would open his door for them.

 

Judy walked into her tiny apartment and Nick carefully reconstructed the largish box.  Nick pointed at the bunny’s bed.

 

“You sit there, I will pack.”  The rabbit crossed her arms.

 

“Not everything, some stuff’s personal.” She said in protest.

 

“Alright, you get to pack the top drawers of your little dresser there, I will get the rest.” Nick said, crossing his own arms.

 

“How do you know what drawer that stuff’s in?” Judy asked, eyes wide.

 

“They’re always in the top drawer.  Always.  Every time.  Everywhere.  No exception.” Nick flailed.  “Where’s the rest of your stuff?” he looked around the efficiency apartment.

 

“What do you mean?” she asked. 

 

“Like... the not your clothing stuff?” he asked.

 

“My alarm clock is right there.  And I have a box with snacks and some other food items under the desk there.”  She pointed out those things.

 

“Uh… I mean the rest of it?  Collectibles, knick-knacks, flare, oh my God you don’t have anything!”  Nick stood before Judy, stupefied.

 

“Well, no, not really Nick.  You saw my home.  We kind of value efficiency.  We don’t amass things because with that many folks living together it becomes a deathtrap in no time.  You have what you need.  Which is everything you see here.”  She gave a gesture.

 

“I don’t have much either, but I have pictures and stuff, Judy.”  The bunny reached into her top drawer and held up a little book.

 

“Picture album, right here!” she said.  Nick rubbed his face as he seemed to grasp that she was being honest.  Judy didn’t need a bunch of stuff.

 

“See, here I’ve been complimenting you that I did not have to tease you about bringing half of what you own on vacation as is the stereotype for ladies on holiday and now I see you still did!”  He laughed.  Judy kicked in his general direction with a grumpy expression.  He dodged the injured bunny easily enough.  “Okay, well, your personal effects in the bottom, then you can mysteriously hide them so the boy fox is unaware of the existence of your unmentionables and medications and stuff.”  Nick chuckled and pulled out the small box of food.  “Are you taking all this with you?  You are welcome to everything I have, so maybe you don’t need it.” He seemed to be pondering how to get out of carrying both boxes.

 

“It’s light stuff, and honestly it will probably all fit in with the other stuff.  I’m serious, I don’t have much, and I don’t even have to take all of it, just what I need.”  She laughed, wincing again.  Laughing still hurt.  “What do you mean medication?” she asked.  “That’s already at your place.”

 

“Yeah your pain medicine, but I meant your … Well, your bunny medication.  I’m an aware fox, Fluff.  I’m sensitive to all things bunny!” He proclaimed proudly.

 

“Huh?  Oh that!  No, no hormone modification for me.  I’m one of the two percent or so whose fur falls out if they take it.  No go for the hormone therapy.”  She stuffed her top drawer items hastily in the bottom of her box.  She felt her ears heat up that Nick even knew anything about that, but it honestly did not surprise her.  After all, he seemed to have studied up on bunnies in order to work with her, catching her off guard again.  Did he just spend a week reading about bunnies, lapine customs, eating habits, and the places all around her home town so he’d not embarrass himself? 

 

“That’s fair, we had a ferret girl who went all skin only days before the yearbook pictures were taken, reacted to some kind of medication too.  I imagine you found out the same way.  Bummer.”  Nick unplugged her alarm clock.  “But I thought unless they were doing the family thing it was kind of a _need_ , not so much a choice.” 

 

“I was lucky, my fur went down the shower drain literally days after yearbook pictures were taken.  Hats and frumpy sweaters were my friend for weeks.” She sighed, intentionally avoiding the second part of Nick’s statement.  He let Judy put some of her lower-drawer things in the box before adding foodstuff and the alarm clock.  It was quiet for a bit, and Judy thumbed through her photo album at Nick’s insistence because he apparently saw her wince as she leaned down to put things in the box.  His curious voice broke the silence again.

 

“Do you ever think about having a family?” he asked.  Judy rolled her eyes hard at that.  No, not him too.  Why must it be the world’s obsession?

 

“Not at this point in my life, I don’t think I could be a good cop and a good mom.” She explained.

 

“That makes sense, but without the pills I bet your body’s not loving that choice.”  Judy widened her eyes.  Was Nick simply unaware how personal that statement was?  He was a fox, he was probably unaware.

 

“I can manage it, there’s … meditation for it that helps.” She explained.

 

“I'll try to make sure you have time to do that then, Carrots.  I can join you if you want.  Meditation might be good for me as well.  I never had anyone teach me.”  Judy folded her ears back.  _Sweet cheese and crackers._

 

“This kind is done alone, Nick.” Judy said, pulling her ears over her shoulders in her hands.  Change of subject.  She needed to change the subject.

 

“Oh.  Makes sense, I always figured meditation was a solitary thing.  They have a martial arts course through the academy.  Do you think – “

 

“Did you happen to take the pillow off of your bed at my mom’s place, by the way?” Judy asked.  It’s all she could come up with and that was not a better direction.  She really did hit her head hard.  Nick pushed the empty drawer closed.

 

“What?  Why would I want a pillow?  I have this darling thing.”  He stroked his tail lovingly, covetously, as if teasing Judy with it.  “I can use it anywhere I go!”

 

“I don’t know, Nick.  I was sure you hadn’t, but my mom said it was missing from your room.” Nick looked back at Judy, obviously puzzled.  The bunny was regretting asking him this.  He would think she was accusing him of taking it and that’s not what she meant at all.

 

“I don’t know where it is now, but Sammie asked me for it.  I figured she was tossing it in the laundry because it smelled like fox, which I imagine is not a pleasant smell for a bunny to go face down in before bed time.” He shrugged.  “Your mom would have to ask your sister where it is if she can’t find it; that was the last I saw of it.”  Judy sat on her bed as Nick unloaded the middle drawer into the box carefully, making sure things stayed neatly folded.  The bunny narrowed her eyes.  Sammie.  Of course.  Sammie took Nick’s pillow.  Judy put her face in her hands, wincing a little at the pain on her cheekbone.  Of all the ridiculous things.  She knew about fox-musk all too well.  Cripes, that seemed so wrong.  Taking his pillow?  Sammie studied psychology, that didn’t throw up any red flags for her?  Judy sighed.  She was not going to tell her mom _that_ , for sure.  The pillow mystery would just never be solved.

 

“You aren’t gonna believe this Nick, but that’s actually it.” Judy stated.  “All but one of my uniforms was in dry-cleaning and awaiting pickup, so we aren’t even moving those out of here today.  The rest is in my bag already at your apartment.”  Nick nodded, and they did another once-over to make sure nothing important was forgotten.  Her toothpaste and toothbrush were in her travel bag, she already picked up a new shampoo when she picked up her medication, so they were good to go.  As they locked up, the thumping of hooves got Judy’s attention.

 

“Hey, it’s our noisy neighbor!” loudly chimed Bucky’s voice.  Judy rolled her eyes.  They teased back and forth over how quiet she tried to be when it was completely pointless, they would alert her if she even dropped a pencil.  They made no attempt to be quiet and acted like she was the noisy one, but they stayed on good terms all the same.  As she turned she saw both Bucky and Pronk approaching with duffle bags.  “We just came to get a couple more things; we’re crashing with Pronk’s sister, whoa, what happened to you?”  They both stopped, seeing she was injured.

 

“She got hit by a bus.” Nick explained casually.  Bucky moved in between Judy and her partner.

 

“Is that really what happened, Officer Hopps?” he said softly.  Judy was stunned at what was being implied.  She and Nick had dealt with abuse victims on occasion so she was sure that implication was not lost on the fox either.

 

“It is.” Judy said sternly.  “I appreciate your concern but Nick’s making sure I get back on my feet as it were.  I got hit while chasing someone.  It was a rough spill, but I’ll be okay.”  Nick wore his usual smug expression. 

 

“Your neighbor will be staying with me now.  If she’s nice and quiet, she can stay until her apartment’s back in order.  If it turns out she can cook, you won’t be getting your neighbor back at all!”  He winked at Bucky.

 

“Wait… what?” he asked.

 

“Wow, it’s like an odd couple scenario, I’d watch that on cable.”  Pronk said loudly.  He nodded.  Judy flattened her ears again.  Nick completely diffused that with his humor.  She was starting to get the idea why he joked around so much.  She followed the fox out, giving her keys back to the apartment manager and then slowly made her way to Nick’s apartment.  It was a pretty long walk, but he felt like the bus might stop suddenly and cause her to fall and finish the job.  Buses, Nick claimed, did not like mammals living to tell about it, and would stalk her endlessly now.

 

Upon getting into Nick’s apartment, the bunny made a beeline to the restroom, then found her way to the couch where she discovered her partner sitting down staring at the box he’d just brought in.  She watched him a moment before he spoke up.

 

“One bunny, one box.  I expected you to kind of … be more noticeable here, y’know?  Spread out.  Doilies and fuzzy mats in front of the toilet.  You don’t have a big footprint.”  She smirked at that.

 

“Do you want fuzzy mats and ceramic coasters and stuff?  We can go shopping.”  He chuckled at that and then stood up.

 

“Nah, that won’t be necessary, I like my bathroom floor cold and unforgiving and brutal and unfeeling.”  He went into said bathroom.  He returned with a little clear plastic box that said ‘First Aid’.  He opened it and then looked at his partner.

 

“You got to play doctor with me in Bunnyburrow, it’s only fair.” He laughed.

 

“Playing doctor means something different where I come from, Slick.” She chided him, but did not stop her partner from carefully unwrapping the bandage on her head.  He inspected it with her head leaned down for a moment.

 

“Matting the fur a little still, we should leave it on at least another day, keep it clean and all.”  He soaked a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol and caused a bit of fidgeting and flinching from the bunny as he made sure the scrape was cleaned before carefully pushing another dressing upon it and wrapping her head a little tighter than it had been before, but she figured it would loosen up a bit. 

 

“Thanks for this, Nick, you didn’t have to, but it’s a lot easier, I know I’d have been all over the place with the wrapping.” She chuckled.  Nick leaned in and very gently caressed his thumb over the bruised cheek.

 

“What’s this from?” he asked.

 

“What the swelling?  The fender of a city bus.” She answers matter-o-factly.

 

“No, Carrots, this…  These…”  He traced one of his dark claw tips over one, two, three lines under her soft fur on her cheek.  Judy’s chest tightened.  She did not really want to talk about that, but being evasive about it would only cause more problems she felt, and at least Gideon was not right there to have to defend himself if Nick got upset.  He shouldn’t be though, right?  It was when she was nine; it was not even a relevant part of her life now, a childhood fight and no consequence to the present.  She apparently pondered it for too long.  “Judy?” he asked, a tone of concern mirrored by his use of her actual name.

 

“Sorry, yes, that… I got that when I was a kid.  I got into a fight.”  Nick folded his ears back, smirking at her, obviously thinking about a tiny bunny kit brawling in the dirt.

 

“Wow, who did you pick a fight with?” he asked with that chiding expression made more clear by the assumption that she started the fight.  However, the expression suddenly melted into one of greater concern.  He traced three claw tips over it.  “Fluff, _what_ did you pick a fight with?”  Judy could hear the level of worry in Nick’s voice and realized suddenly that this would feel personal to him.  She had worried about Gideon, but not about him.  She took a deep breath, preparing the explanation in her head so she could get it out without misunderstanding.

 

“It was at a Carrot Days festival, I was nine or so.  I’d been busting another kit’s chops half the day, pushing back against him – he was a bit of a bully back then and all.  Kids are like that sometimes, but I was defiant, same as I am now.”  Nick watched her quietly, eyes rather wide, following her explanation with his full attention.  “So, anyway, he stole some tickets from my friends and I confronted him and he pushed me down, so I kicked him in the mouth, and this was the net result of that fight.  But, I stole the tick-“

 

“A fox.” Nick said flatly.  Judy looked up at him with wide eyes, glanced down, took a quick breath, and continued.

 

“As I was saying, I stole the tickets back from him when he got close enough, so it ended up only steeling my resolve that I wanted to fight back and stand up for others.”  She smiled wide enough that her back teeth were showing, thinking hard to herself.  Drop the subject, it’s told, we can move on.

 

“It was a fox.” Nick stated again, his eyes fearful.

 

“Nick, it’s not like you could have done anything, and people can’t even see it unless they are really looking.”  She wanted him not to internalize this.  Yes, it was a fox, but it had nothing to do with her partner.

 

“Why didn’t you tell me about this, Judy?” he asked.

 

“Because it’s really not important.  It doesn’t matter if it was a fox that did it; it has nothing to do with you now.”  She was a little irritated that he would not let it go. Why in the world was he trying to make this about him?  Nick cupped his muzzle and sat back, leaning back on the couch and staring off into space a moment, seemingly lost from the moment they were in.  Judy eventually spoke again. “Nick.  I’m serious, it’s not relevant to now.”

 

“Not relevant?” Nick asked, getting up and walking away a little, pushing his ears back, facing away, his tail flicking around in agitation.  “Judy, maybe it’s not relevant to you anymore, but it’s very, very relevant to me.” He turned around, his eyes seemingly pleading.  “Carrots, the worst thing I ever did to you, and I am serious, it was the freaking worst thing, was leaving you when you needed a friend the most… I regret that all the time and now I find out that you were actually justified in how you reacted!  How would that not be relevant?!” he asked, his voice a bit agonized.  Judy widened her eyes.  She had not really considered that he’d see it like that.

 

“No, Nick, I was awful to you.  I was ready to spray you in the face with Fox Away… and you’d been the only real friend I had in the whole city.  It was not fair to you-“ she began.  Nick cut her off.

 

“Fluff, at an impressionable time in my life I had a bad thing happen to me and it completely changed the way I saw the entire world.  Do you really think your cheek was the only place those claws left a mark?  When you were the same impressionable age an angry fox tore your face open!  Oh my God, I was standing there…”  Nick turned away again, ears back, hands at his side.  “I was standing there with my teeth bared and my hands up… showing you my claws, like I was gonna…”  He turned back, eyes wide and definitely fearful.  The bunny shook her head.

 

“Hey, I made a mistake.  I wasn’t afraid of you.  I never was.  I was startled, but…”  Judy stopped.  He looked miserable.  He wasn’t buying it.  So maybe her fight with Gideon had a little to do with her reaction that day, but telling him afterward was not possible, and after they repaired their friendship it didn’t seem like it was that important anymore.  Nick closed his eyes, finally speaking.

 

“I’m sorry Judy.  I’m sorry about how I acted.  I was upset and I didn’t understand, but I do now.  I… I have no idea how you managed not to let me have it with that Fox Away.  I’d have been un-sly for a week, and I’d have deserved it…”  The bunny sighed.

 

“Nick, we both messed up then, okay, but here we are now, best friends and partners on the force.  It worked out, okay?  We both said sorry, now can we please let it go?”  Nick sighed softly and moved back over to the couch, sitting by Judy, and tracing the lines again, still seeming pained.

 

“Okay.  I accepted your apology, but now I feel like you didn’t need to give one.  But I will… be glad how things are now.” He said with a deep breath, hands clasped between his knees.  “And now, we are roommates too, so I guess it really didn’t change your destiny so much after all.” He laughed weakly.  “I can’t imagine how horrified your parents must have been, I can’t believe they even let me in the house.”

 

“Oh, they’re fine, they understood.  Again, it was a dumb fight between silly kits, Nick.” Judy stated.  “Besides, they obviously forgave him for it after he grew up.  He didn’t stay a bully, he’s friends with my family now!” she chimed, trying to put an up-spin on it.  The shock rushed back into Nick’s face.  Crap, she said too much.

 

“Gideon did that?” he asked, then cupped his muzzle again, seemingly in horror.

 

“Nick, we were _kits_.  Kits.  Kits do dumb things and they grow up.” The bunny insisted.

 

“What…”  He seemed suddenly lost. 

 

“He’s fine now, Nick, he helped us save those bunnies, remember?” she asked.

 

“Carrots, what did you _do_ to him?!”  The bunny widened her eyes, then growled and thumped her suddenly laughing partner with a throw pillow.

 

“Gideon is just fine, Nick!  At least _he_ grew out of teasing bunnies!”  She pounded him with the small pillow a few more times and then leaned back, panting a bit, feeling better.  She had not wanted to have that conversation, but supposed it was fair given that she knew about the Ranger Scout thing.  Nick panted a bit from defending himself from Judy’s pillow assault and then stood up, straightening his shirt a bit.

 

“Well, I am going to order pizza, the traditional first roommate meal!  So select something appropriately mind-rotting on Howlu and we will get you fed, medicated, and then record you saying ridiculous things for blackmail later.”  Judy hurled a pillow at her partner, who dodged it.

 

“Don’t you dare!” she laughed.  He laughed also and shook his bushy tail teasingly at her for missing and disappeared into his bedroom where his laptop was to order their food.

 

 

 

 

Judy felt so good.  She listed very softly back and forth as she sat kind of balled up on the right side of the couch with her tender left side not having to lean on anything.  Nick sat half reclined at the other side, sipping a soda.  The nearly empty Pizza Den box rested on the middle of the couch between them.  She had her pizza and Nick ate, predictably, plenty more, and then she took her medicine.  Her shoulder was really hurting by that point, possibly from her jumping around so much attacking Nick with the pillow.  At first she worried that the medicine was not going to do anything, but it hit like a landslide and she stopped feeling much of anything.  The movie wasn’t even making sense at that point.  They were watching a cheesy martial arts flick where a dojo got shut down and all the students went to work in an office.  The poor office manager didn’t know anything about martial arts and could not understand what was wrong with all his employees and why just normal office tasks went so terribly wrong but of course he ended up needing their help when another company attempted a _really_ hostile takeover.  It was ridiculous and made only more so by the medicine. 

 

After the movie ended, Nick took the remaining pizza and put it in the fridge, a novel concept to the efficiency apartment bunny.  The fox came back and sat on the couch, browsing to find something else silly to watch.  Judy watched him a moment, her mind tumbling around slowly with her usual thoughts, but there was less filtering her random ponderings and she ultimately crawled over to him on the couch, turned, and plopped down with her head on his leg, looking up at him.  The russet mammal gazed back down at her with kind green eyes. 

 

“Nick, can I ask you a coo-wess-chun?” she over-pronounced the word because she was just feeling a little drunk from the pills.  Her partner grinned broadly at that.

 

“Okay, but I don’t know that you are gonna remember whatever answer I give.  You are a very medicated bunny.” He chuckled.

 

“How come your mom never remarried?  It must have been hard taking care of you all alone, and I think she’s a really pretty fox, so it seemed kyoo-ree-us.” She stated.  Nick’s expression shifted, a bit more serious, but he didn’t seem upset about the out of the blue query.  He rested a hand on Judy’s forehead softly.  His slightly rough paw pad was warm.

 

“Not really the line of interrogation I expected from a loopy rabbit, but okay, I can answer that.” He said.  Judy blinked one eye slightly faster than the other.  Was she loopy?  Oh yeah, she was loopy.  “My mom and dad were traditionalists.  While bunnies are very self-aware about their mortality, we foxes are planners, and our big plans sometimes include more than one life time.  So when my mom and dad made their vows it was for longer than their lives, if that makes sense.”  Judy wondered if it might have made more sense if she was not drugged.  She supposed it would, but didn’t say that.  Nick continued in his soft story-telling tone like he had used their first day in the gondola.  “The usual fox wedding vows still use language referring to more than one life time, even if most of the foxes in the city are not so traditional now.”  He looked up a bit as he spoke, leaving his hand on Judy’s head.  “I mean, yeah, it was hard, but my mom couldn’t make that promise to someone else because in the next life, who would she keep the promise to?  None of us know how it really goes of course and I’m not terribly traditional, but that’s one promise you do not want to fail to keep, right?” he asked.  Judy looked up at the fox and awkwardly blinked her eyes in mismatched rhythm again.

 

“I guess I always just thought everyone used the same words when they got married.  It’s pretty simple for rabbits, but I guess for how emotional we are, we kind of see it more as caring for kits, so if one partner’s gone, we still need someone.  We have to feel that support and closeness.  Can you tell me the fox vows?”  She was a bit more candid than she might have been normally about that sort of thing because of the medicine, but she wasn’t really caring at that moment.  Nick gazed down at the bunny, seeming to consider that a moment.  He drew in a slow breath.

 

“Well, traditionally we are taught the vows by our parents, and do not say them to anyone else until we are binding ourselves to another.”  Nick’s reply was measured and slow which helped Judy understand what he was saying.

 

“Well, you are not traditional, and I don’t have a fox mother to tell me the vows.  So you can share your secrets, or I can ask can fox-mom for them.  I’m family now, she saaaaaid.” She grinned, feeling giddy for some reason at just prying her partner for secrets.  His expression went from mirth to sudden panic.

 

“Oh my god no!  Do _not_ ask my mom that, Judy, that would be worse than your mom seeing us in the shower together or something!”  Nick put a hand on his chest as if to slow his startled heart lest it rupture.  Judy sat up and picked up her phone from the cushion where she left it.  

 

“Imma do it.  ‘What are fox wedding vows?’ and send-o-roonie.” She squeaked happily.  Nick grabbed her phone, preventing her from typing even one letter of that.  He then pinched the bridge of his muzzle, eyes closed.

 

“You are a natural fox, did you know that?  So much mischief from a bunny!” he scolded.  Judy laughed, resting both little paws on her tummy and flopping her head down on Nick’s thigh again, making him flinch.  “Careful,” he said, “you may not be feeling all that jostling around now but you will when you wake up.”

 

“Give up your foxy secrets or I start flopping around on the hardwood floor like a feeeeesh.”  The bunny grinned.  Nick sighed heavily.

 

“I am gonna embarrass the hell out of you when you get over the medicine for asking this stuff, just so you know.” Nick looked at his partner stoically.

 

“You embarrass me all the time anyway; at least I’m getting something in trade.  Fox seeeeeecrets.”  She wrung her little paws devilishly.  She couldn’t tell if it was just the medicine or not, but this was a lot of fun for her.  Nick sighed again and then pulled Judy up a little so she was beside him, facing away.

 

“Okay, you win, reluctantly I might add, but there’s no way I’m gonna have you looking right at me as I say them.  It’s embarrassing enough.  No promise I’m getting them exactly right, it’s not like I really figured on using them.” He laughed.  “Not traditional and all.”  Judy obediently rested against Nick’s side, facing away, arms crossed.  She was getting what she wanted, that was a victory on her part, so she was stoked.

 

“It’s the same for vixens?  The words I mean?” she asked.

 

“I think so?  I’m not really sure… if there’s different words for the opposite gender, my mom didn’t see a reason to teach them to me at least.” he stated.

 

“Gotcha.”  She perked her ears high and leaned heavier against her partner, waiting.  He sighed softly, seeming to take a moment, perhaps trying to remember them right.  She felt giddy knowing she would get to know something this deep in vulpine culture.  Nick tried very hard to understand bunnies, she was at least making an effort, even if she teased about it.

 

“So… First, you do not tell _anyone_ I told you this.  It’s a small event, just immediate family… if any can be present at all.  I know bunny weddings are pretty big and complicated affairs-“ Nick began.

 

“These are not secrets.” Judy said sternly.

 

“Heh…  Gotcha.  Right to the good stuff, yeah?” he asked.

 

“Damn right!” she pushed against Nick with a little backward shove.  He drew a deep breath again, and then murmured,

 

“Alright then… here goes…”  He leaned back a little, arm around Judy in a way that felt warm and cuddly but she knew was to keep her from turning around.  She was a little confused as to why that would be a big deal, but she was getting what she was after so she was not about to challenge him on it.  He spoke softly, his tone a little deeper than usual so it felt more weighted with seriousness.  “All that I am, all that I was, all that I ever shall be – I give unto thee.  To love and protect, to honor and aid, unconditional and unwavering in this life and the next, may fate never bear us apart.”  Judy listened carefully, struck speechless by how deep and intentionally full of meaning those words were.  She felt guilty suddenly for forcing Nick to say them.  He wasn’t being dramatic, that was intensely personal.  She was silent for a little while.  Nick was quiet too, and the bunny realized he was waiting for her reaction.

 

“That’s actually… really beautiful, Nick.” she finally said softly.

 

 

“I think I messed up part of the middle of it, but you get the general idea.”  Her partner shifted a bit, and Judy sat up, stretching.  He must have felt really awkward about that, so she needed to let him off the hook, as it were.

 

“I promise, I won’t tell anyone you told me about it.  I bet I’m the only bunny who has ever heard it, since those events are just for immediate family, huh?”  She stood up shakily.  Nick reached out in case she needed him to help her.

 

“I would imagine so.  You look about ready to fall over.  Medicine doing its job?” he asked kindly.

 

“Yeah, I definitely think it’s time to curl into a ball for the night.” She laughed.  Nick nodded to her and went to a closet and got a blanket and pillow for the couch.  Judy felt odd that she was actually intentionally staying the night in Nick’s apartment, but it dawned on her that, at least for now, it was her apartment too.  She stretched out on the couch.  Nick pointed at the bedroom  She looked up curiously.

 

“I will take the couch, I can’t make you sleep on the couch.” Nick said.

 

“I already told you, I’m not taking your bed away.” The bunny remarked defiantly. 

 

“Judy, the sheets are fresh washed and nice and clean and soft.” Nick stated.  “I’ve had my tail all over that couch for months, which would you rather be rolling around in for the night?” he gestured.

 

“I’m taking the couch, it’s almost as big as my bed was, and besides that, I wake up before you do and I’ll just be stuck in the room trying not to wake you.  I’ll be more comfortable here.”  She insisted.  Nick rubbed the back of his head and sighed, offering Judy the pillow and a wool blanket that was likely nowhere near as nice as what was on the bed.  Judy didn’t mind.  She could not make her partner be the one making all the sacrifices just because of her rotten choice in dwellings.  She stretched again, getting comfortable which, while medicated, was super easy.  Nick smiled at her.

 

“Well,  the offer of my bed and its clean sheets still stands, I suspect you will change your mind the first time Wolford can’t tell us apart unless he’s actually looking at us.”  Judy laughed at that and curled up a bit on the couch, pushing her cheek into the pillow.

 

“I do shower, Nick, especially since you have your own shower and not that dumb community shower room at my place.”  She sighed. Nick reached down and patted the top of her head, a rather condescending thing to do to a bunny, but she wasn’t about to move.

 

“You get lots of sleep, I got one more day of leave before I have to get back to work and I want you to not need the meds while I am out of the apartment, okay?” he asked.  Judy didn’t answer.  Too cozy.  Too sleepy.  He chuckled a bit and vanished into his room. 

 

The sounds here were different.  His apartment faced the courtyard in the back of the U shaped building away from the main road so it was considerably quieter.  The only sound she could pick out with ease was an unfamiliar but not unwelcome one.  There was the low droning hum of the compressor for the refrigerator which was a soft, lulling white noise.  She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, settling in to sleep.  He was right, now that she paid attention to it.  The soft scent of violet and lightly pungent musk overtook her full olfactory sense, but she was a bit puzzled as to why Nick thought that was so unpleasant.  It was earthy and floral and natural, it reminded her of home.  Or did it remind her of home because she smelled it at home?  She closed her eyes again, leaving them closed longer.  With the back of the couch pushed against her back, it felt like she was being held.  Bunnies like being held.  She guessed she was no exception, it was intensely comforting.  That same sense of relaxation, contentment, and lack of stress consumed her.  Yeah, this was definitely throwing wood on the fires of her dumb attachment hang-up, but she would take it for the moment.  She got injured.  She was hurt and in a different place.  She needed it for now.  Just for now.  In safe bliss, the bunny drifted off to a deep and restful sleep in the place she would, for now, call home.


	14. Weakness

**Guardian Blue: Season One**

Episode 14: Weakness

 

 

 

 

The sleepy bunny stirred a little, rolling onto her back, and then slightly jumping in agony the moment her shoulder pressed into the back of the couch.  That jolted her awake completely.  She found herself in the dark and a little alarmed at first, but the scent from the couch reminded her she was in Nick’s apartment where she was supposed to be because she actually lived there for the time being.  She pushed her face into the back of the couch, feeling calmed by it and then pulled back, wrinkling her nose.  That wasn’t a very healthy thing for her to be doing.  She was reminded of her sister absconding with the pillow.  Was there something she wasn’t telling Judy about?  As far as she had gathered in their conversations, Sammie had dated a fox.  Had she built a similar attachment and needed the scent of fox to feel safe and happy?  Would Judy be driven to filch random things from Nick?  That worried her.

 

“Sleepy bunny.”  Nick’s voice was warm and gentle from the direction of the darkened dining room.

 

“I’m sorry, I hope I didn’t wake you,” Judy groaned.  She then cried out in surprise as light flooded the room, Nick pulling open black-out drapes and letting sunlight in.

 

“It’s eleven so I’ve been up a while.”  Nick grinned at his partner.

 

“What?!” she cried.  She sat up and then grunted, fell back, and groaned again.

 

“Hell, I thought the doctor was kidding about how spazzy bunnies are when they get hurt.  Have you not figured out that it’s the whole suddenly moving thing that makes the hurt happen?” Nick sat by Judy’s feet.

 

She held her shoulder.  “Pills.  Trip-back-from-hell pills, please.” She groaned.  Nick held up two oval white pills between his fingers.  Oh good, he already brought them over.  How considerate.  Judy reached out meekly for them.

 

“First are you going to be good and try to stay still through the day?” He asked.

 

“Yes, I promise, now, pills or I explore the wonderful world of violence,” Judy growled.

 

“And no pushing your partner around and threatening to embarrass him in front of his mother?” he asked, drawing the pills back.

 

The bunny whined plaintively and reached for pills that were held just out of reach.  “I won’t tell anyone about you telling me fox secrets, gimmee!”  Judy finally sighed as Nick gave them to her.  “Making a bunny suffer.  You aren’t gonna make me swallow these dry are you?” she asked, her voice garbled a little because the pills were already in.  Nick gave her some water.  She downed the pills and laid back.  “Cripes this is more agonizing on day three.”

 

“Probably just because you haven’t moved in sixteen hours.  I suspect you were not really sleeping so much as occasionally dozing in the hospital.  Maybe bunnies don’t like them either?” Nick offered.

 

“Maybe.  I was hoping you’d be able to go out and do your normal stuff today because I would have been able to tough through the pain but the hell with that!”  Judy sighed.

 

“Well, I am going to pay a few bills online and send an email to Wolford to make arrangements for a shift trade since he’s covering me today.  That will have you working alone, likely desk duty Saturday, but it won’t be too bad and you shouldn’t aggravate your shoulder too bad with that.  When I am done with email and such we can binge-watch something on TV, that’s not gonna hurt my feelings one bit.  Truth be told I am actually still a little sore from Munch.”  He laughed.  Judy perked up, having not realized he’d pushed himself that hard.  He made it look easy, but he did do some pretty extreme things, like jumping and catching Angela out of midair and tackling a few others.  He was also a bit older than her so there was that.  Nick handed the TV remote and her phone to Judy and headed into his room where his laptop was set up. 

 

Judy turned on the TV first, finding a puzzle show on and leaving it there.  She watched in the direction of Nick’s room a moment, then pushed herself tighter to the back of the couch and took a deep breath.  There it was… the feeling like being safe from anything that could ever want to hurt her.  She then furrowed her brow.  Okay, there had to be a way around this mess before she started doing something embarrassing.  She glanced over at Nick’s room again, and then looked up on her phone the term ‘Bunny Security Attachment’. 

 

The responses to that query were dozens of pages of various implements intended for bunnies to protect themselves from larger animals, general sorts of crime, and natural disasters.  There was nothing about what she wanted to know.  Sometimes the internet just was not helpful.  She then looked up ‘Bunny Psychology – Security Attachment’.  She got more of the same, but a little ways down she saw one for ‘Severed Attachment Syndrome’.  She knew what that one was already, it was a kind of post-traumatic stress disorder for widows and the like, that did not describe her problem.    

 

She looked up probably half a dozen variations on psychology and security and found a couple of articles saying that bunnies _needed_ security to be mentally healthy and happy, but absolutely nothing about behavior resulting from focusing their security need on someone else.  It made sense in how it was explained to her, but Sammie had specifically told her it was a normal thing for bunnies.  She made it seem common.  For her to find nothing on the internet about it suggested a level of obscurity a general court counselor would likely not delve into.  Had Sammie actually lied to her about it?  Why would she do that?  Did she still think Judy was dating her partner and did it to try baiting her into saying something?  That seemed reckless given that she _was_ a counselor and others valued her for her advice.  Judy messaged her sister, requesting an article she could read on Security Attachments.  She watched TV for a bit, and then found herself starting to doze.  The pills were working and they made her sleepy.  She dozed off and on for probably an hour while Nick busied himself in the other room with whatever he was working on.  Judy finally stirred again, and realized she had a message.  It was from Sammie.

 

“It was all lecture stuff.”

 

Lectures?  Judy folded her ears back and growled inwardly.  She did not make it sound like lecture stuff.  That, to the bunny, was not much better than a suspect saying, ‘So yeah, my brother’s friend, he’s got a hunch the homeless guy down the street took it.’  But why in the world would Sammie do that?  The bunny rubbed her face, which thankfully was not hurting.  She just could not bring herself to care enough at that moment to get into it with her sister.  Next time they talked she might put her on her heels over it, but as Nick entered the room she pushed those thoughts aside.  If it’s not a security attachment, then it was no more cause for concern than it was before her sister said anything in the first place.  She felt safe around him because he would never, ever hurt her.  End of story.  She pushed herself up the couch a little and mentally crushed Nick with her choice of the old Tales from the Darkness series.  He should have known better than to let her choose the program.  She took advantage of her injured status and he watched, sometimes in obvious discomfort, as his mind was subjected to just the suggestion of horrible things because the technology and social norms were not there to allow them to be shown.  This, Judy found, was always so much worse to Nick.

 

 

 

 

After several hours of torturing Nick with jump scares that never happened and twisted endings that painfully challenged his perception of reality, the phone rang to spare Nick from the suffering he’d agreed to.  From what Judy was able to glean from the conversation, Wolford wanted to know if Judy was well enough to come in to help identify the cheetah who caused her to get hit by the bus as they felt reasonably certain that they had caught him.  Nick told Wolford to just send a picture of him and let the injured bunny ID him that way.  The wolf spoke to Nick a bit longer and Nick finally handed Judy the phone.

 

“Hey, what’s up, Wolford?” asked Judy as she leaned back against the couch.

 

“So, yeah, it’s more than an ID issue, or we could have done this Nick’s way.  There’s a ton of remorse pouring off this cat, and the detective thinks he might give up some useful information to you if you ask a few questions since we’ve been really dancing around his repeated question about whether or not you survived.”  Judy frowned at that.  She thought that was kind of cruel, not able to imagine how she would feel if she got someone else killed like that.

 

“I’ll be out there, sure.” She said.  Nick shook his head frantically.  He didn’t want that but Judy had already said yes.

 

Wolford spoke seriously on his end.  “I don’t want to push you, this is just a rare opportunity to get inside info, so I do agree with the detective.  This is possibly related to a great many more crimes in the area targeting smaller animals.  If you are still hurt too bad-”

 

“No, I’m almost off the pain meds, I just have to go slow and take it easy.  It will be good to get out of the apartment.”  Judy spoke a little longer to make arrangements where to meet Wolford and Nick continued to give her the stink eye.  She finally hung up the phone and her partner crossed his arms.

 

“You didn’t have to say yes to that, Fluff.  You should not have said yes to that,” Nick stated.

 

“I’m still a cop, Nick.  We still have a mission, right?  And it won’t be that bad.  I’ll just be careful not to throw myself in front of vehicles.”  Judy laughed a bit and shook her head.

 

Nick sighed and relented.  “We’re taking a bus, but please be careful.  I don’t want to have you out of work any longer than is necessary.  They partnered me with Higgins tomorrow.  He gets sleepy about noon, and when he yawns in the cruiser it feels like days before he closes his mouth again and it’s just… awkward,” Nick explained.  He helped Judy get ready as best he could, though she was able to get into the only uniform she had with her without trouble.  They both then headed to the bus stop.  Nick remained out of uniform because he was afraid that they would spot him and shuffle him off to help in records or something while Judy was being an unrepentant workaholic.

 

Judy stepped onto the bus and sat down and Nick slipped in beside her.  She thought it was odd at first because there was no one else on the bus at all, Nick could sprawl out on a seat the way he seemed to prefer on the rainy days that they took the mass transit.  The first time the bus lurched to a stop she understood however.  Nick slipped a hand to her side to prevent her from shifting much on the seat.  It was not necessary, but she decided that it was more for him than her, he wanted to help, and he didn’t like that she was going at all.

 

The ride out was peaceful and quiet given that it was at an odd time during the day, and they arrived without incident at the precinct.  Judy still had a noticeable favoring of one of her legs that Nick readily pointed out and made sure she knew that he was willing to help her if she needed to lean on him.  Judy was appalled at the idea of needing help walking into the police station.  They already tried to give her the lightest duties because she was a bunny.  She didn’t need to encourage it.  While she appreciated the offer, she passed it up.  As they entered the lobby they were treated to a rarity.  Clawhauser completely out from behind his desk.  He ran up to Judy only to find Nick in front of her.  This surprised her a bit, and seemed to surprise the cheetah as well. 

 

“Don’t go scoopin’ her up, Benny.” Nick advised.  “Her shoulder was smacked pretty hard.”  Judy rolled her eyes.  The fox in shining armor bit was wearing on her.  She was bruised, not on a respirator. 

 

Clawhauser shook his hands in front of him excitedly.  “Okay, won’t pick up or hug.  But ohmigosh, are you gonna be okay?  Bogo told everyone in the morning meeting when you weren’t there the following day, but by the end of the shift you were out of the hospital already!” 

 

“I’m doing better, should be back in tomorrow or the next day, we will see how it goes.  Probably gonna be pushing pencils for a little while until Bogo feels sure I’m good to go.”  Judy indicated her light blue sling.  “I’m supposed to meet Wolford and a detective to check on a suspect?”

 

“Oh yes, interview room… seven.”  Clawhauser pointed upstairs.  “Good to have you back on the job, Hopps.  Next time, just ticket the driver, don’t attack the bus.”  He laughed and headed back to his desk.  Judy followed behind Nick, smiling a bit.  It really was good to be back.  It felt like such a long time.  She had been home for four days, and then the accident, she hadn’t been out of work so long since she resigned more than a year ago.  She looked up at her partner, following closer behind.

 

“You did not have to block Clawhauser.  He wasn’t gonna maul me, Nick.” She scolded in a light tone.  She didn’t want him to think she did not appreciate that he was trying to help.  Nick seemed like he was still a little shaken by everything.

 

“You know how Ben can be, Carrots.  He really will just grab you and squeeze and not think ahead if he’s excited.”  He smiled though, making it obvious he didn’t hold it against the bubbly and excitable feline.

 

“I know, but let me at least try to fend off disaster so I don’t get rusty.  With our line of work, I need to stay sharp!”  She slapped Nick’s tail as it bobbed in front of her.  He scooped it up and stroked it comfortingly, looking at Judy with a playfully shocked expression.

 

“I will expect a written apology and chocolates addressed to my tail,” he said with a pout.  He then opened the door, finding Wolford in the way.  The lupine backed out of the room and nodded to Nick, then smiled brightly at Judy.

 

“Welcome back!” he barked, wagging openly.  He then looked at Nick.  “Okay… peek through the document slat… You know a ton of mammals in the city, do you recognize that one?”  Nick did as asked, squinting as he spoke in a near whisper.

 

“If I _only_ knew a ton of mammals I’d be pretty lonely.  I know Francine, after all,” he chuckled.  His laugh died suddenly and he looked back at Judy.  “Is that the guy?”  Nick moved back.  Judy stood in front of the door.  The document slat was a bit over her ears.  She wore a grumpy expression.  Wolford moved to lift her up.  Judy winced in agony.

 

“Sorry!” Wolford gasped.

 

Nick smirked at Judy.  “I did not interfere, just like you asked.”  He helpfully pointed out the obvious result.  Judy slowly turned and stared daggers at her partner.  Nick swallowed and then hopped down on elbows and knees on the floor in front of the door.  Wolford backed up, wearing his own smirk at the exchange as Judy hopped right on up and peered through the slat.  She narrowed her eyes and nodded.  It was him.  He even had the black hoodie with the white cross on the back.

 

“Yeah, that’s the guy.”  Nick grunted a little given that Judy had hopped down from his back.

 

“That’s Reggie Swift.” Nick said.  “He’s small time.  Lifts bags left unattended and the like.  He’s not a monster though, much as I am disinclined to go easy on him given recent… events…”  Judy saw the gleam of Nick’s teeth, one of the rare times she knew he was not snarling for show.  He could not help it.  He was angry.

 

“Do you know anything about the cross?” Wolford asked.

 

“I do.  I would like to talk to him, if you will let me.”  Nick crossed his arms.

 

“I suspected you might.  Detective Pawlander is pulling records at the moment but he said you and Hopps could ask him questions if you want.  He feels that Judy’s presence might get some straight answers about who he’s fencing to or working for given that he’s apparently stepped up his game to gang-related crime.”  Wolford stepped back.  Nick gestured to Judy to have her come in.

 

“Hey, you’re okay!”  The exclamation came from the stressed cheetah as he tried to stand up and went back down, ankle probably bound to the bracket under the table.

 

“Oh yes!  The arm sling is all the rage this year!  Just her color too!” Nick said with glee.  Swift winced a bit at that.  Judy moved across from him and stood in the chair that anyone else in the department would have sat in.

 

“I’m really sorry about that.  You know I didn’t mean for you to get creamed by traffic, I didn’t even see it.”  He gestured wildly, seeming very genuine about it.  “They said I could be looking at attempted murder charges!  I didn’t mean to hurt anyone!  I just re-home merchandise!”

 

“And you are absolutely terrible at it,” Nick stated.

 

Swift gave a puzzled look at Nick and then gestured back to Judy.  “Yeah, but I’m gonna go straight, I just need a little extra to get to a different part of town, I swear, I wasn’t making the direct approach my next big thing!”  He seemed to realize that he was out of his element.

 

Judy spoke up.  “You will be facing those charges, just as you understood them if I pursue them, but I think you know you messed up and will gladly take a big step back after this… so I‘m not after you.  I want to know who handles your merchandise.  I might be looking for something special that he can help me with that will make my job so much easier.”  Judy smiled as Swift lowered his head, hands cupped behind his ears, obviously weighing his options.  She knew how this went, she’d watched so many videos in the Horizon Lounge (a training room).  He would ask for a bit more, something they could not give, they would offer less than they wanted, they would say it wasn’t enough, she would take the deal off the table, they would go for the thing that wasn’t enough. 

 

Swift finally inhaled and looked back up.  “I want this, I do, but you have to understand, I don’t know who handles it, I drop the stuff off at a one-time use drop point and then a random member of the club passes me the resultant cash a few days later.  It’s for everyone’s protection.  We don’t know who has the stuff and we don’t know who carries the money.”  Judy leaned back, sighing.  Of course it would not be that easy.  She decided to wait for Swift to add something.

 

However, before he could, Nick cut in.  “Well then, in the absence of something more valuable, perhaps some information, some gossip, if you will, that can’t ever be traced back to you, you don’t know anything.”  Swift looked up curiously, seeming a little blindsided by Nick’s sudden counter-offer.  Judy was just as confused.

 

“I really don’t know anything.”  He gave a meek shrug. 

 

Nick stood up slowly.  “Who the hell did Darmaw piss off enough to recruit a lightweight like you?”  Nick’s words were cold and severe.  Judy widened her eyes.  The fact that he was wearing the white cross suggested he was in a gang, but she had not expected her partner to play his hand with it so suddenly with a question that seemed unrelated.  Swift furrowed his brow.

 

“Hey!  I have no record so I obviously ain’t that bad!” he protested.  Judy opted not to say a word, she had no idea where Nick was going with this but was going to have another chat with the fox about communication when they got out of the interview room.

 

“The Alabaster Paw vets its claws carefully on their history.  You don’t have one.  You’re an opportunist, that’s why you messed up so bad, and you forgot they have a rule about taking a mark while wearing the cross.  If they saw you get picked up wearing that after nearly killing a cop your problems are going to be a lot worse than trying to figure out how long you are going to be in a cell.  What did Darmaw do?”  Judy thought the whole conversation was a mess as she looked at Nick, but as she looked back at the cheetah he seemed almost panicked.  Judy widened her eyes a little.  Sometimes she forgot Nick was a part of the streets before she met him.  He knew this stuff likely better than some of the detectives.

 

“Look officer, I don’t know how you know all that stuff but if you got an inside guy, ask him.  I’m in enough shit without actually pulling the rope around my neck myself,” he offered.

 

“Take off your shirt.” Nick commanded.

 

“What?” asked Swift, bewildered.

 

“Off with it.  Hand it over.”  Nick took out his cell phone, seeming to just distract himself checking messages as if the order was routine.

 

“What?  No way, what good’s it even gonna do you?” Swift protested.

 

Nick put his phone away, wearing a sudden expression of concern.  “Look, I’m trying to save you, not inconvenience you.  You want to turn over a new leaf, right?”

 

“Of course I do, I wasn’t lying.  I never hurt anyone before.”  He glanced at Judy, seeming genuinely unhappy about what he’d done.  He did risk being caught just to help her so she believed him on that note at least.

 

“Well, if you give me the shirt, I will have it and maybe no one ever knows you were sloppy and got busted in it because his guys on the inside don’t see you going through processing in it.  You don’t want to go through processing in it I can promise you that.”  Judy gritted her teeth.  The tone Nick used was really bordering on threatening.  What was this even about?  Swift did not even seem to need to think about it, he tore off the shirt and threw it on the table.

 

“You make the rumor that it was found near where I got picked up, stashed in a can, and maybe I share a rumor with you.  But that’s it.  It’s all I got.  Rumor.  Talk.”  He wore a lighter grey t-shirt underneath and seemed so much wirier for it.

 

The fox leaned back.  “Alright, share then.”  She hoped this was not going to get Nick in trouble given that they were asked to figure out who the gang was unloading their goods on, but she suspected that was going to be a convoluted trail at best given how Swift had described it.  A network of one-time use drop points and random money-runners?  That was pretty complex.  It wasn’t called organized crime for nothing.

 

“Okay, so all I heard, and I wasn’t even supposed to hear it, was that he had one of his top claws nickin’ flowers a while back, not the good kind as you two are most deeply aware.”  He mashed his ears flat, seeming extremely nervous.

 

“Well, we already know who the flowers were for, so why’s he worried about it suddenly?  They weren’t contraband when he was collecting them,” Judy explained.

 

Her partner cut in again.  “I’m gonna make a guess, so you will have told me even less, and you just tell me if I am not wrong, okay?”

Swift nodded.  “Fair enough.”

 

Nick spoke calmly.  “Darmaw wasn’t able to deliver his product after he had his claws grab it, and he needs to pay for those services or those top bid claws are going to let him be discovered in an embarrassing and public way with a very large stash of Nighthowler.” 

 

Judy widened her eyes at that.  “He’s being blackmailed.”

 

“You ain’t wrong.”  The cheetah sighed.

 

Nick picked up the shirt, balling it up.  “I’ll let the good detectives decide what that information’s worth outside this room, but I’ll make sure my side of the deal stands.  You were wearing a gray shirt when we brought you in.”  Nick strode toward the door.

 

Judy got up and narrowed her eyes coldly at Swift.  “You get clean.  You do not want me to be the one chasing you again.” 

 

“On my family honor,” Swift stated.  Judy hoped he meant it and followed Nick.  He stood in the room on the other side of the door with Wolford and the detective, a white-furred wolf with ice blue eyes, Pawlander.  Those eyes were quite wide.

 

“That was a direction I would not have thought to go.  The DA is gonna burst into flames when I give him this, Wilde, I hope you feel up to writing a report on any details you might deem helpful to the case.  I figured Judy being there would soften him up but I didn’t even think about what really had that guy shaking his spots off.  Geeze…  How much of the bad stuff do you think that guy’s sittin’ on?  What if he tries to unload it to another whack job?”

 

“I will be at work tomorrow, taking Wolford’s shift, so you will see me bright and early and we can discuss it,” Nick explained.  “For now, I am putting an injured rabbit back on the couch.” 

 

“Oh good!  We can get back to our horror binge watch!” Judy chimed.  Wolford laughed heavily.  He was aware of Nick’s dislike for scary movies.

 

The fox put his hands up.  “She’s all yours; she knows even more than I do, names, places, blood types, fantasy sports rosters, make her write everything.”  Nick threw Judy to the wolves.  That got a rare laugh even from Pawlander.  Judy limped after her partner, pondering if it was worth the pain to try to kick him.

 

 

 

 

While she was not feeling much in the way of pain that night, Nick still insisted that Judy go ahead and take her medication.  He wanted her to sleep well since he would be at work the following day.  Another good hard night of sleep should leave her at least able to care for herself without needing the medicine and supervision, so she finally agreed.  After a few hours, she was feeling that same giddy sense of silliness that Nick had learned to escape from.  The teasing and silliness were uncharacteristic and if she had someone to tease she would start trying to move around and would not rest.  The giddiness was starting to wear off and she was just relaxed, poking through her phone.  She found her pictures of Nick sleeping.  She hadn’t really needed those since she started sleeping on the couch at his apartment.  She already felt that sense of security, but she assumed being medicated had a lot to do with it.  She felt much more relaxed and sleepy all the time when she was on it.

 

She scanned through the pictures and tried to decide if she should delete them to help get rid of her odd hang up.  She could not bring herself to do it.  The pictures were, in Judy’s own thoughts, too cute.  She liked them for the same reason she liked having stuffed animals on her bed her whole life.  They represented the very idea of peaceful comfort.  She sat up, wandered to the restroom and then sat back down.  She had slept half the day and she was sure she was just a little hyper from how happy the detective had been with their help.  That kind of thing makes its way back to the chief.  It eased her feelings of defeat from having missed a few extra days of work.

 

There was a soft sound of a door opening and Judy looked up, seeing Nick stumble through heading to the restroom himself.  He did not look her way until he came back out.

 

“Sorry, I hope I didn’t wake you,” he stated.

 

“You didn’t.  I was worried I woke you,” she replied, a little dizzy still.

 

“Nah, I hadn’t gone to sleep yet.  I’ve been looking through a Fur Side comic anthology to bleach out the spooky.”  He made a creepy grabby gesture at nothing in particular.  His partner laughed.  He sat on the far side of the couch and yawned achingly wide.  “Seriously, how do bunnies even enjoy that stuff?  I mean, you guys can literally be scared to death.  How is that fun?” 

 

Judy laughed again and shook her head.  “Well, I guess it’s like roller coasters or anything else like that, right?  Little scares that you expect are kind of fun.”  Nick leaned back a little on his side of the couch.  Judy got up and got a can of soda to sip on that she then left on the kitchen counter in case she needed it in the night.  The medication dried her mouth out terribly.

 

Nick regarded the bunny for a moment, and then spoke again.  “Okay, so now I get to ask a serious question while you are medicated.  I think I earned it after last time.” 

 

Judy nodded.  “Sure!”  She felt pretty amicable about the trade honestly.  Once she sobered up, she felt a bit ashamed about forcing Nick to tell her what he ultimately gave in and told her.  She had not brought it up since, holding that as one of her most closely guarded secrets.

 

Her partner spoke softly.  “I know you get scared.  I’ve seen you scared.  But you don’t seem to get scared at the right stuff.  Like, the stuff that seemed scary to me seems fun to you.  Does it really feel fun?  I mean, running from Manchas was scary, you seemed scared, but was that actually fun for you?” he asked.  Judy looked as her partner for a while, actually trying to figure out why he was even asking that.  She was terrified that day but at the end of it she felt so… alive.  It was thrilling in its own way.  She wasn’t worried about her heart stopping if that’s what he was concerned about.

 

“It was scary, yeah.  I would not have listed that as a fun encounter.  We could have died.  I like scary things okay when I am not seriously about to get ripped to shreds.”  She nodded curtly at that.  That was an accurate portrayal, she thought.

 

“So, scary things are still fun to you if you know you won’t get hurt?” he asked.  His partner nodded.  He was getting it, at least.  Maybe that would help him enjoy the movies she liked.

 

“So, when I chased you around in the museum as Bellwether watched…  Was it fun because you knew I would not hurt you, or was that scary because you knew if we messed it up Bellwether certainly could?”  Judy walked over toward Nick.  That’s what this was about.  He felt guilty about hunting Judy and baring his teeth and pretending to bite her.  It was about her being hurt by Gideon so long ago.  She stood behind the couch that acted as a divider between the living room and dining room and leaned closer.

 

“Nick, I was worried about Bellwether yes, but we had the serum and she’d already called the ZPD after she shot you with a blueberry, we both knew how it was gonna go.  I will admit, my heart really raced seeing you in action, what a predator might have looked like hunting me.  You did a great impression of Renato Manchas.  It was convincing, but I guess I’m kind of weird because I had more of a curiosity about it than a fear.”  She rubbed one of her ears down in front of her.  “If I had to say anything about what I was thinking as I watched you stalk me I would have to say it was oddly... thrilling.  The whole thing was beautiful in how it played out, and I very much enjoy the memory of that afternoon.”  She hoped that helped him. 

 

Nick was leaned back more against his side of the couch.  He laughed a bit at that, but he seemed so sleepy in his laugh.  “I guess I have been thinking about that a lot, having not realized then that you’d ever really been hurt by a fox.  I know I said we’d drop this, but that whole… thing had new meaning to me afterward.  I guess I just wanted to make sure that the memories stopped where my teeth did.”  He touched his own bare cream-toned throat with his claw tips softly, his a-shirt leaving much of that light-colored fur visible.  Judy remembered something as she watched his eyes close a moment in reflection.  She leaned over the back of the couch again and took one of his triangular vulpine ears between her index finger and thumb and began to rub in a slow, very gentle circle. 

 

Vivienne told her about this, perhaps by accident, but in her somewhat loopy state she just had to try it and see.  She was just so curious about it and repercussions were not firmly etched in her mind right then.  To her silent giddy glee, Nick seemed to just sink harder against the couch, and his eyes closed more completely.  His ears folded back, his chest began to rise and fall in the familiar, comforting slow rhythm of slumber.  She watched him for a while, not letting his ear go, not wanting him to wake and scold her.  She then sat back down on the couch on her side of it and folded her ears down her back.  Crap.  What did she do that for?  She’d just have to wake him up and send him back to his room.  She was not going to take his bed, and she certainly was not going to let him wake up and find her asleep there with him, how creepy would he think that was given that she intentionally put him to sleep?

 

The whole time she watched his chest rise and fall.  Her nose moved when she slept.  She knew it did because every bunny that she knew did that.  Foxes seemed so much more still and peaceful and serene.  She leaned up closer to him.  Did his eyes move?  Was he dreaming?  As she leaned in close that gentle scent of wildflower… violet… was more perceptible.  She found herself wondering again if that’s really what she was supposed to be smelling.  She then widened her eyes.  She hadn’t taken a shower before going to work!  She was there with two wolves!  They hadn’t said a thing about it; maybe Nick was worried about nothing, but she would endeavor to be more careful when she went back to work.  She was avoiding even saying anything about having lost her apartment to anyone but Bogo.

 

She looked back to the sleeping fox and that pang of worry erased completely as his ears flicked a bit.  She knew why her youngest sister was so interested in that.  They were such quick little motions.  She looked back to his nose, his whiskers, and then a sinful thought, an obsessive, unnatural, horrifically powerful urge swept through her.  She looked away, holding her ears down.  What the hell?  Had she no self-control?  Was it just the medicine?  What was wrong with her?

 

It seemed like time froze for a moment from the second it went through her head, and there was no escaping that the thought was there.  And it wasn’t going away.  She turned again, and she slowly leaned over her partner as he leaned back a bit more, seeming so comfortably half reclined against the arm of the couch.  She slipped down closer to him.  What the hell was she doing?  If he woke right that moment she’d have absolutely no useful explanation.  She swallowed, her mouth suddenly feeling dry as she licked her lips.  Her hands felt cold, her heart was racing.  This was that fear she was telling Nick about.  Fear and thrill side by side.  That russet muzzle was so close, resting peacefully before her filled with teeth that were, eons ago, intended to end her.  They would never harm her.  She was safe with them.  Her own muzzle drew closer a little above his.  That was right.  This was safe.  He would understand.  Her curiosity had always been insatiable.  Hell, he owed their friendship to her merely being curious about what he and Finnick were doing! 

 

She drew closer still, her heart beating so hard she could hear it in her ears.  She felt his whiskers actually touch teasingly at her chin, and she froze.  He exhaled slowly, his hot breath rushing out evenly under her chin and at her neck.  Judy sucked in a slow, deep breath.  She couldn’t help it.  There was no turning back, she held firm in her belief that with all they had been through he would understand.  This of all things, he’d understand.  She lowered her head, tilting her muzzle a bit, parting her lips as she leaned in close.  She cupped her mouth over his dark, perfect foxy nose… and blew.

_Ffffbbpptthtbdbbdth_


	15. Coin

**Guardian Blue: Season One**

Episode 15: Coin

 

 

 

 Nick held Judy over him, still half reclined, blinking his eyes, stupefied a moment, mouth hanging open.  His strong hands were around her middle and she was completely held over him, kind of dangling limply as she was overcome with soft, twittering, very medicated giggling.  She did it.  She did the thing.  It was great.  She felt accomplished in her drugged mindset.  Her partner’s chest rose and fell quickly in his surprise as he seemed to finally connect what just happened. 

 

Still holding her over him, the bunny giggled madly, Nick exclaimed, “Carrots, why did you do that?!”  He leaned up and put Judy on her feet and she held her sides, laughing harder.  The fox shook his head, cupping his nose with his eyes shut tight.  “Oh God you were drinking lemon soda, it burrrrrns!”  His voice was nasally and it made the bunny sit on the floor, laughing hard enough that it was interrupted by coughing, and then hiccups.  Nick stood up, holding his head.  “I can’t believe you did that!  How do your lungs even hold that much air?!”  Nick’s freaking out about it was hilarious to Judy at that moment and she lay completely flat on the carpet, squealing with laughter again.  The fox stood over her, a stern glare given. 

 

Judy slowed her laughing, just smiling up to her partner.  “Finally got you with it.”

 

“Feel better?” he asked grumpily.  Judy nodded rapidly, her ears barely keeping up with the nodding.  Nick yawned extra expressively and scratched his side a bit, looking around.  “Okay, well you can roll around on the couch and revel in your victory.  But so you know… I count us as one hundred percent square for the whole DMV thing at the beginning.  Paid in full.  Get some sleep Judy.  If you are still out when I get up I will head out and let you sleep.”  Nick then stopped at the counter where Judy’s citrus soda was sitting.  He folded his ears back, looked at her grumpily, and then turned up the can, chugging it noisily.  He then flattened the can on the counter and tossed it in the recycling bin.  He grinned sadistically at the bunny.  “We are out of soda.  I will pick up some more when I get off work.” He said with a sly grin. 

 

“Hey!” Judy complained.  She crossed her arms as Nick slunk into the bedroom again, closing and rather audibly locking the door.  Judy carefully crawled back on the couch.  She deserved that at least, she could not be too mad.  She laid back fully and sighed.  She finally got him.  It was so fun creeping up slowly, watching him, making no sound, slinking closer, right up so near that she could feel his warmth, and then, victory!  It felt positively…  Judy opened her eyes wider.  It felt predatory.  She blushed a bit.  She probably should not have enjoyed it for that reason, but just ‘getting’ her partner was not the real thrill, it was stalking him… catching him.  She laughed to herself again, putting a paw on her forehead.  Okay, that was an odd effect of this medication that was not listed on the pamphlet.  ‘May lead to stalking behavior in bunnies.’

 

She then stopped laughing.  That was not the first time she’d genuinely enjoyed chasing Nick and loving the thrill of the hunt.  Playing Munch with him in Bunnyburrow she was level with the fox on the chase, and won based on her stalking and capturing his tail.  And that was one of the most exhilarating things she could ever remember doing.  She rolled onto her side, looking blankly into the back of the couch.  The scent of her partner relaxed her even as she let those curious mental ramblings roll around in her head.  These traits were not actually forbidden or anything, were they?  It wasn’t something so strange, bunnies liked playing Munch, they had for like… forever.  But not the way she played it.  Judy closed her eyes.  She was different.  She sucked in a deep breath.  That’s right; she could not even find anything on Sammie’s seemingly fictitious Security Attachment Syndrome.  There wasn’t anything wrong with Judy at all.  Her odd experiences for a bunny all her life meant that she enjoyed life a little differently than other bunnies did.  There was nothing wrong with her.  She was just enjoying life.  She smiled as she closed her eyes and drew a slow, deep breath.  She was really enjoying life.

 

 

 

 

The next morning Judy woke to find she was alone in the apartment, as Nick had promised.  At first she was significantly sore and wanted for her pills a bit, but as she moved around a little and woke up fully the soreness became more muted and she managed fine.  She spent much of the day on her phone.  She followed up with an investigator concerning the owner of her apartments and found out that, bad news, it was likely to be condemned for months because it would have to be sold on auction and that took time to set up.  Even after it was sold the repairs being made, if made quickly, would still take weeks more.  Bogo had contacted a few outreach programs who stepped forward to assist mammals who were displaced with nowhere else to go.  A couple hotels were willing to offer temporary residence to the overflow so that took care of those less fortunate for the time being.  The bunny counted that as a feather in her cap, certainly.

 

After that, she focused her efforts on a little more difficult prospect.  She needed to find a new apartment.  She found suddenly that reliable scores for apartments in the area were hard to come by because almost all of them raised the rent on predators during the Nighthowler incidents, easily discovered in the online reviews.  Judy absolutely refused to live in a place that had done that.  Her own apartments had not, but she didn’t think a single predator lived in the Pangolin Arms.  At least, no one that was of a size that anyone was particularly worried about.  After wasting an hour of her time on that she took a deep breath, and called her family.  She had messaged them a few times the day before, just stating that she was on medication and not very talkative, but she had been enjoying the peace and quiet.  She finally felt energetic enough to face the music as far as her worried family was concerned.  She opted for a regular phone call as she didn’t want them knowing she was still staying with Nick even after she was better.  It would just cause too many questions.

 

“Jude the dude!” chimed her father. 

 

She smiled a bit at that and responded.  “Hey, I’m off the meds, I just wanted you and mom to know so you were not worried about me spending more time aimlessly wandering in traffic!”  Judy laughed.  Her dad did not laugh in return.

 

“So, what exactly happened?  Your mom said something about you chasing a thief and getting run over.  Your boss said it wasn’t bad but you were out of work and we know that’s bad for you,” Stu stated. 

 

“Someone grabbed my bag, I ran them down.  Got my bag back, but didn’t see the bus.  I bruised my shoulder pretty good but nothing’s broken and I will be back at work Friday.  Nick helped me while I was on medication and that was fine.  I watched a bunch of movies and just relaxed.”  She wanted to get away from the subject of how she got hurt.

 

That was a useless attempt, however, as her father waited for the break in her explanation to exclaim, “You got _mugged_?!”  Her mother yelled something in the background.  Her father yelled back, “Before she got hit by the bus, it’s why she got hit.  She was chasing a thief who grabbed her bag!”  Judy pinched the bridge of her nose.  She should have just said that she was chasing a thief and left it at that.

 

“I’m okay, Dad.  Honest,” she growled.

 

Her father spoke seriously a moment.  “You should try to find a little nicer neighborhood, if you need help affording a better place we can-“

 

“Dad!” Judy protested.  “I am already looking for a new place, no I do not think I will need assistance with it, I make enough.  But I am definitely looking at getting a new place.  Maybe something a little bigger with a kitchen.  We will see.”  She was at least serious about getting a new apartment.  She had no choice really.  “Anyway, apartment searching is what I was doing before I called, and I need to call back a couple of places about previous policies and management changes, so I was mostly just calling you both to let you know I was alright, I’ll be back at work soon, and, this will be your favorite part, I will probably be at a desk for a while until the chief is sure I’m back to full strength.”  Her father cheered.  She rolled her eyes and smiled at that, before finally getting off the phone on a high note.  He hated that they worried so much, but she knew it was out of love for their daughter.  That made their occasional stuffiness bearable at least. 

 

The rest of the day was spent doing the thing that Nick left in a hastily scrawled note on the small square dining room table.  “Rest.”  Big letters.  He was serious.  She enjoyed some movies and a nap and felt positively lazy for the rest of the day.  When Nick got home he brought steamed veggies and noodles from Panda Picnic and the promised soda.  Judy was fine with water most of the time, particularly at work, but when she was watching movie or otherwise just being lazy nothing beat a cold crisp soda.

 

Nick talked about his day which was, early on, a chore as he was not fond of being partnered with Higgins who liked to talk endlessly about his accomplishments on the force to anyone he deemed a rookie, and often talked much more loudly than was needed.  The second part of the day went better as he spent it with the detective and with Bogo who was interested in what Nick had to offer about the Alabaster Paw. 

 

A decade or so ago they were a self-styled thieves guild but in recent months they had turned to more direct means like robbery.  This added a bit of attention to them already, but the revelation that they might possess a large amount of Nighthowler refocused the attention of the district attorney and the ZPD.  There was a great deal of interest in getting those flowers off the streets, wherever they were.  The formula for the Nighthowlers was carefully guarded from what the investigation had found, but it was not outside the realm of possibility that someone could duplicate it, or even make it more terrible.  Nighthowlers had been banned inside Zootopia proper, and most folks who used them for agricultural reasons outside Zootopia were avoiding using them at that point because they were suddenly heavily stigmatized.  There was a bit of a stink about them being used decoratively around the homes of folks who hated predator species, in planters, bouquets in windows, that sort of thing, but it was not widespread. 

 

Nick enjoyed the rest of his day because he got positive attention for what he genuinely knew about things going on around the streets of Zootopia.  He did know some of the inner workings of things like Mr. Big’s family and the like that he sealed up inside his head because he did not want to cause a breach of trust in a place that might well serve the ZPD later, and this was agreed to by Bogo, he felt Nick was wise in this decision even if it was likely more about saving his neck and the hides of those he loved.  After giving the rundown of his day, the pair finished their dinner and focused on their own things.  Judy read from a novel she had downloaded to her phone, typical spy-action fare, and Nick focused on his laptop, playing cards online.  It was some kind of strategy game, not like regular cards or poker that Judy was more aware of.  As best she could tell, Nick was good at it and he enjoyed it where free time allowed. 

 

After that, it was, unceremoniously, bed time.  It would seem that would be an anticlimactic end to a pretty dull day, but to Judy, as she bedded down on the couch and prepared for what would be her final day of rest, it was encouraging.  It meant that Nick was really just living his life as normal with Judy living around him.  She did not feel like she was imposing on him which dropped her stress quite a bit.  The entire idea of just staying with him, even if for a short time, had been maddening to her because she felt like she had already leaned on him too much and taken too much from him just because she did not have many friends in Zootopia.  She didn’t have anyone who she felt she had a lot in common with, and while she was, in many ways, opposite to Nick, she got along with him and enjoyed his company.  She did _not_ want to impose upon him.

 

The following day was even less remarkable for the simple fact that she did not do one of the things she spent so long on the previous day.  She did not look for a place to live.  She was comfortable right where she was.  She did not intend to stay of course, but she was less frantic.  Nick did not seem to mind her, even after her little… medicated episode about blowing in his nose to make his lips flap.  Yes, it was funny.  Yes, it was immature.  Yes, it was the kind of thing that you have to apologize for, but Nick never even brought it up after it happened and it felt like he understood that it happened only because she _had_ been medicated.  She had felt so bad about it the following morning, but Nick never brought it up.  That was a thing that she could be gracious about, though she knew it had cost her being able to trade in the DMV incident forever.  She would have to be on significantly better behavior. 

 

That following day was best described as a reintroduction to daytime television and why we do not go there anymore.  She swore off of that vapid emptiness forever and clung to her savior, streaming selections till the end of time.  What had passed for general access day time TV was an insult to even the reflexive activity in her brain which allowed her life functions to continue.  Her very heartbeat was challenged by the offerings provided.  She preferred watching Bob Fossa painting for beginners over any of that.  Thursday night had Nick home a little less late and a trip to the local supermarket for some needed shopping.

 

The primary need was for supplies for Judy, but some food variety was high on the list as well.  Judy protested the location initially as it was the one she and Vivienne had gone to when she brought her back to Zootopia the first time, and they had checked her bag.  Judy had not intended to shop there ever again, but she was also not allowed to tell Nick what Vivienne had done to get back at them, so she had to relent.  Fortunately, if anybody recognized her they did not say anything, and Nick was not harassed at all.  Perhaps Nick, living in the area, was a familiar enough face that they did not bother him.  He also tended to be very social and friendly to nearly everyone which improved his interaction with most folks.  It went easily enough and they picked up food and general needs for a couple weeks before heading back. 

 

After getting back, Nick taught Judy to play poker.  She found it so random that it seemed that the lay of the cards was all that mattered and that there was not really any strategy involved, but Nick assured her that there was, and just having a winning hand did not mean you always played it, it was more about knowing the other player than knowing your own cards.  It was certainly an enjoyable way to get to the end of the night and the bottom of a pint of cider, and she enjoyed her final night of freedom before time to return to work.

 

 

 

 

Friday morning, heading in to work, she was certainly careful as Nick had requested again and again.  She sat in a front-facing seat on the bus, kept Clawhauser from hugging her, everything.  The day itself was exactly what she had expected.  Nick was off as he had originally had plans with his mom for the weekend which Judy insisted he keep because she ruined his visit on Monday by playing in traffic.  She was working in records, but at least that was not a terrible prospect.  They put her on a project that was so simple that she got to listen to humorous talk shows all day because the tasks did not require much in the way of grey matter. She was simply converting old physical reporting to digital, and better yet, the reports had been written, she only had to categorize them.  She could have done that in her sleep. 

 

The day went by pretty quickly as she worked and when lunch time arrived she made her way to the cafeteria.  She rarely ate there as she often just stopped somewhere with her partner, but without him there was no need to leave the precinct.  She ordered a caprese salad and made her way back to a table, still listening to a humor podcast.  She munched on her salad, positively drowned in balsamic dressing since Nick’s sensitive nose was not nearby to offend, and listened to dry witty back-and-forth that her parents would probably not have understood.  She blinked as her entire world shifted to the side.  She looked up to see that a polar bear had plopped down on the long bench that the bunny had been occupying, but she had seemingly intentionally done so heavily enough to scoot the bench and tilt it upward since she sat at the end.  She scooted over more, laughing.  That voice told Judy exactly who it was.

 

“Major Friedkin!  When did _you_ graduate?”  Judy grinned at her former instructor from the academy.

 

“It could have only been you, powderpuff.” She laughed.  “No other bunny’s made it through.  Though two tried!  I’m here giving a refresher course on weapon retention.”  She leaned back.  Judy leaned back, a little surprised.

 

“Two other bunnies?  Really?  But how did they fail?  I was sure that if they really tried hard enough, anyone could make it.  That’s what it’s all about, right?”  Judy took another bite of her salad.  It was a bit heavier today but tasty.  She and Nick had been reckless about food choices the past few days as they got their grocery list established, so she needed to go with a more protein-rich fare as she got back on her feet.

 

“Well, you of all mammals know it isn’t about what you can or can’t do it’s about heart.  I’m there to filter hearts, not bodies.”  She took a huge bite of what looked like easily half of a fish burger.  Good thing she had three of them.  Judy shoveled in more of her salad, not wanting to run out of time to eat, she felt like she’d been in line forever.

 

“Well, you helped give me the heart, were you doing the same for them?” she asked.

 

Friedkin finished one sandwich and picked up another.  “Don’t misunderstand, it’s not like I’m there to drive them away.  You can’t do this job if the push-back from anyone else is ever enough to stop you from doing your job.  I was hard on you Hopps, you gotta know that.  I told you, straight up, at the beginning, go home.  And you didn’t.  Why?” she asked.

 

“Because I wanted to be a cop.  I wanted to help people, my whole life.  I wasn’t going to let you tell me I couldn’t.” she answered matter-of-factly.  This was not the first time she’d told this to her instructor.

 

“Right.  That was your answer.  You were going to be a cop no matter what.  Whether I said you can’t… Or your own boss said you can’t.  What ultimately happened for you was the only answer, officer Hopps.” The major stated, finishing another sandwich.  Having taken a bite of her salad, Judy missed Friedkin taking a bite of her second sandwich and now that was gone.  Being a large mammal must be very expensive, Judy thought.  They paid less in taxes to compensate, she knew, but it couldn’t possibly have been equivalent.

 

“So, they don’t make it through if they feel like you being in their way is unfair and they quit?  Can’t we just encourage them?” Judy asked.

 

“Hopps, I take my job very, very seriously…” Friedkin pushed the first bite of her third burger into her mouth, enjoying that a while before speaking up again.  “If I decided that a bunny, for just being a bunny, needed an easier go of it when you were going through… Let’s just say you were the type who gave up when it seemed the whole world was against you.  Did it ever seem like the whole world was against you _after_ you graduated?”  The bear took the final bite of her lunch.  Judy sat there a moment, a little quiet and actually tingling a bit from the meaningfulness of those words. 

 

“Yeah.  I have been in that position before,” she answered truthfully.  Friedkin took a long, eager drink of some kind of fruit juice.  Judy looked up, nose twitching as she realized where the Major was going with that.

 

“… If you had given up the first time it seemed hard… The first time it seemed no one was going to help you even though you were smaller and more helpless than anyone else… What would Zootopia look like now?”  A chill shot through Judy.  She’d have never looked back.  She would have handed Bogo her badge, and she would have never looked back, and Bellwether would have won.  The future of Zootopia, as much as she felt she was a part of it, was a deeper team effort than she ever really considered before.  She was not the only one doing everything she could to make the world a better place.  Even down to the academy itself, everything mattered.  Everyone made a difference.  It was not that the Major was saying some people couldn’t do the job, some people _wouldn’t_ do the job.  They would not want to if it was really that hard.

 

“… It takes… something different.  It takes a different kind of bunny.”  Judy felt a little more secure in how odd she had been growing up, and found more comfort instead of the slight pain of alienation that she’d always known.

 

“Oh Hopps it takes a very, _very_ different bunny!  You aren’t even close to any other I’d ever met.  You are a wolf among bunnies, I assure you.” The bear laughed.

 

Judy waved a paw.  “Hey!  I’m not _that_ different!” she laughed.

 

The Major leaned back while patting her fully tummy a bit and speaking again. “I sure ain’t able to name another bunny cop!” she chuckled.  “I don’t know a single other mammal below the four foot mark that ever laid out a rhino, and I don’t know a lot of bunnies who tear down an albacore tuna salad like you do either.”  Judy froze.

 

“What?”

 

“Your salad, cotton-tail.”  The Major nodded down at it.  Judy looked down at it more carefully than she had since she sat down. 

 

“That’s a caprese salad.” Judy stated flatly.  Her stomach lurched as she suddenly wasn’t so sure.  It tasted a little different, but she had dumped a ton of balsamic dressing on it today.  The bear looked at Judy incredulously.

 

“Caprese got tuna on it?” she asked.

 

“It’s got fresh mozzarella cheese.” Judy answered.  She had really not been paying attention to her food and, as per usual, the cheese went first and now that she thought of it, the texture was a little off, but it wasn’t something the hungry bunny cared much about at the time.  Usually the mozzarella was in wet round slices, today it was in little chunks but Judy had just not been paying attention at all.

 

“Uh…”  Friedkin leaned in closer, sniffing.  “You might wanna take that up with the kitchen staff today, honey-bun.  They tuna’d you, girl.”  Judy pushed the salad away as if it were conspiring against her. 

 

“Oh crap.”  She cupped her small hand over her muzzle.  The breath-test didn’t do much good; all she got was basil and balsamic vinaigrette.  “You are pulling my leg, right?” she asked hopefully.

 

Friedkin’s eyes went wide, seeming to realize that the bunny really did not want a tuna salad.  “Now bunny, you gonna be alright, that ain’t gonna hurt you, but man, I would really take it up with the kitchen’s line manager.”  Judy widened her eyes.  Friedkin didn’t do practical jokes.  Judy really did it.  She ate meat.

 

“I… I will do that.”  She swallowed, her throat a little dry, and enjoyed her ice-water with vigor.  You know… so that poor fish would have a more familiar home, oh dear heavens no!  She took a deep breath, working hard to put on a stoic face to the Major.  “I hit it real hard with dressing, I didn’t notice it was even that different,” she chuckled nervously.  “I have been distracted and my taste’s been a little off cause of the medication I had to take.”  She nodded down to the sling which hopefully she would have off in another day or two.  Judy realized as she said it she was trying to justify what she had done to herself more than the Major.  It wasn’t very much meat, but that wasn’t the point.

 

“Oh my… You poor bunny.  What happened anyway?” she asked.

 

Yes!  Distraction!  She could talk about that!  “I got hit by a bus,” Judy stated flatly.  She was too lost in her thoughts about what she’d just done to realize how ridiculous that sounded.

 

Friedkin reminded her how outrageous that was quite loudly.  “You what?!  Bunny-girl I thought that crap only followed you around on the obstacle course, ahaaahahahaa!”  That got a few stares from others in the cafeteria and Judy suddenly had to laugh too.  It was pretty crazy, and the tone her former instructor used took her mind off what she’d done.  They both laughed about some of her other less reputable moments learning to be a good officer.  They barked the instances back and forth.  Eee-normous criminal!  Yer dead!  Ear slammed in car door, dead!  Walked in front of fire hose, you are dead!  Got into police van first and got sat on by next officer in, dead!  They called them back and forth laughing heavily for a while and this, Judy felt, was the only reason she was able to pull her mind away from what happened enough that she did not get ill from the thought of it.

 

She filled her instructor in on how Nick had been doing as she had been the fox’s instructor too.  At first the bear had been surprised that they willingly partnered Judy with someone who wasn’t going to offset her size difference that much, but a few mentions of the pair on the news had made it clear that was not going to be a real issue.  Judy tried to get Friedkin to tell her some funny things that had happened to Nick during training, but the bear stated that she had not told Nick about Judy’s mishaps when asked, so to be fair the fox would have to come clean on his own.  She gave air quotes to ‘come clean’ to signify it held meaning that the bunny would have to seriously pry about later.  She left off saying that she was proud of Judy and Nick both and asked that she say hello to her partner for her before she headed back off to the class she was giving.  Judy sighed happily as she savored the warmth of a compliment from someone not well known for giving them.  She then sighed sadly, looking back down to her nearly completely finished salad.

 

“ _Un_ expected encounter with a weird little bunny… you are _dead_ , tuna-fish,” Judy thought, looking down blankly at the table.

 

 

 

 

The rest of the day was filled with as much distraction as Judy could manage as she worked on her data management project.  She had reported the tuna incident to the cafeteria manager who gave her a week's work of meal vouchers which Judy promptly gave as a gift to Clawhauser because if she used them she might have to explain to Nick why she was using them and she did not ever want him to know about it.  Even Nick would not have eaten a tuna salad.  As she worked she also reflected on some of the hijinks that she and her partner had enjoyed since beginning to work together.  Seeing Major Friedkin had made her a bit nostalgic, as bunnies tend to get.  In this wave of nostalgia Judy rather suddenly lamented that she had initially been a bit of a difficult mammal to live with for the first couple of days, first pushing him into giving in vivid detail a secret oath that only very lucky and loved foxes ever get to hear from the lips of another, and then the nose thing. 

 

The nose thing.  Judy thought about that a while.  She should apologize, except it would not be genuine.  Judy was not sorry for it; she still thought it was funny as hell.  Nick would know right away she wasn’t really sorry and would be rightfully insulted if she tried.  But she wanted him to know that she _did_ care about his feelings about that and smooth it over.  He had not even put her on the spot or brought it up. He was being very kind to her about it and she felt like his efforts to keep a peaceful home for her to live in despite her medicated antics should be rewarded.  She decided that she would pick up some pastries and a couple of ciders to make peace with him over it so he knew that she appreciated it, and that she did not intend to ambush him in his sleep again so he didn’t have to lose rest over sharing his abode with a crazy obsessive bunny.

 

Judy spoke with Clawhauser for a little while at the front desk after signing out, giving him a more complete story about what had happened in Bunnyburrow, as well as giving him a link to look at when he got off duty of the Munch match that Angela had recorded and uploaded.  Judy was surprised to find that Clawhauser knew friends who played the game too, it was certainly not just a country thing.  He was startled to find out about the house fire, no one had said anything even though Judy had a report sent to Bogo.  The chief had not spoken about it with Judy but she suspected that he would address it when she and Nick were both there.  She didn’t expect more than a few kind words that still felt like a lecture somehow, but kind words were valuable.  Not wanting to stay too late, Judy headed out.  She stopped by the bakery that was in walking distance from Nick’s apartment and picked up cherry and blueberry cream cheese Danishes, a selection that was particularly decadent, and then two tall, cold ciders from the corner store.  She went up to the apartment with a happy determination to let Nick know she appreciated him putting up with her during those awkward medicated days. 

 

She opened the door and stepped in, putting her backpack down and opening it to take out the treats.  Nick didn’t care to leave lights on in his apartment if he was not in a room since he had great night vision anyway, so Judy could immediately tell he was in the dining room since it was the only room with a light on.  He was likely reading and having some coffee.

 

Judy called out as she zipped her backpack back up, “Alright Nick, I know the past few days haven’t been easy, I acted a little weird while I was medicated, and you got blown by a bunny, but you can probably guess… I’m not sorry.  I wanted to do it, still glad I did it!”  She walked into the dining room as she spoke.  “However, I brought you… a treat?”  As she entered and looked up from her bag of pastries and cider she found Nick was not alone at the table.  His mother was sitting to his right, and Finnick was sitting on a stack of pillows in the other chair on his left.  They appeared, by the presence of cards and stacks of chips, to be playing poker.  She thought Nick was going to his mom’s, not that she was coming to the apartment.  She would have bought more treats had she known.

 

When she took notice of everyone’s expression however, she could see something was very, very wrong.  Vivienne was staring hard at her son, a look of shock on her face.  Finnick was silently stunned and looked back and forth between Nick and Judy, and Nick wore an expression that Judy had not seen on his face since she was in the car with him heading to meet Mr. Big after getting caught in his limo.  He looked horrified and utterly doomed.  Had he not told anyone else that Judy was staying there?  She thought for sure Viv knew.  “Oh, hi there,” she finally offered calmly, just to break the increasingly tense and awkward silence.

 

Finnick broke his shocked expression and a huge grin spread on his face.  He laughed in that deep, growly tone of his, “Hoh boy, Nicky!  I’mma raise you two hunnerd, yo’ luck obviously just _ran out_!”  He laughed heavily at that and pushed four chips into the pot. 

 

Nick pulled his ears back with his hands so tightly it peeled his own eyelids back a bit as he cried out in loud exasperation to Judy, “Fluff will you _please_ tell my mom what it is you are talking about?!”  He began panting as if he were starting to hyperventilate through his bared teeth.  Vivienne, eyes wide, ears high and alert, turned slowly to Judy.

 

The bunny tilted her head quizzically.  “What?  Why do you want me to tell her about that, she knows all about that stuff, she’s a pro!” she chirped proudly.  At Judy’s reply Vivienne’s ears went back, eyes widened, and her muzzle parted in shock.  Nick’s muzzle parted even more and he emitted some kind of plaintive squeak of horror.

 

Finnick immediately stopped laughing and slapped his cards on the table with his own eyes suddenly showing near panic.  “Oh shit, ya’ll, I fold.  Nobody wins.”  Judy folded her ears back, scrunching her nose a little.  What the hell were they reacting to?

 

Vivienne looked to Nick.  “Is Judy still on medication?” she asked. 

 

Nick put his chin on the table and covered his muzzle with his arms, whining softly.  “Mom, what my rather innocent country-grown bunny partner means about me getting blown is your muzzle-trumpet prank, where you blow through my nose to puff out my cheeks and rudely and horribly wake me up.” 

 

Vivienne’s expression went blank, the vixen blinking.  “Judy trumpeted you?” she asked.

 

“Yes!” Nick cried desperately.  He seemed horrified.  Judy let her arms fall to her sides.  Was it a really big deal?  He hadn’t even been acting mad about it.

 

Suddenly, it was obvious that Nick’s mom wasn’t mad about it either, as she cupped her muzzle.  “PpthAAA-HAhahahahahaaa!”  She leaned forward, wailing with laughter.

 

Finnick exploding a half second later, head completely down on the table, knocking over half his chips with his sailboat ears as he slapped his paw on the table.  “Ooohaahahahaaaa!”  Nick remained with his head down, arms hiding his whole face as the hysterical fennec slapped his shoulder a few times.  Judy smiled weakly.  Okay now her partner had reason to be miffed, they were all in stitches over it and Nick seemed like he was mortified by the whole experience. 

 

Vivienne suddenly jumped up and shuffled quickly past the startled rabbit, holding in her laughter before she slammed the bathroom door behind her.  A second or so later she resumed a fit of laughter.  Finnick was literally crying.  Judy let them have it out with their shattered funny bones for a while, slowly taking a seat in the only remaining chair.  Nick had yet to look up.  Judy took out the cider and Finnick grabbed one.  She decided that would be hers - it was a sacrifice.  She opened the other and handed it to Nick.  He remained buried under his arms. 

 

Vivienne finally came out of the bathroom, having composed herself.  She spoke in a breathless tone, “Oh Judy, I am sorry, we are all just awful.  Me most of all, oh good heavens, but that was so funny, you have no idea!  It wasn’t what you did, hon, it was how ya said it.”  Finnick was still giggling as he stacked his chips back up obsessively.  Judy felt a little nervous by how quiet Nick was being and how strong a reaction she had caused in the other two, ultimately beginning to think she had humiliated _herself_ as well as Nick somehow in all of this.

 

Nick cleared his throat a bit to get attention back on him, since he’d made hardly any sound.  “Mom, the coin.”  He held out his hand.  Judy looked at him curiously. 

 

Vivienne put a hand to her smiling muzzle.  “Oh goodness Nick, it wasn’t that bad, she didn’t even know what she was saying, we’re the ones who were being-“

 

“Coin,” Nick insisted.  His mother handed him the felt pouch from her purse.  Nick held the pouch between his fingers but Judy knew what it was.  It was the GOT YOU coin that Nick gave to his mom, and she ended up using when she pranked Judy the day they met.  What did Nick want that for?  Then Judy widened her eyes.

 

“Oh come on Nick, I brought treats, it’s water under the bridge, right?”  The bunny laughed nervously.

 

Nick chuckled darkly, clutching the pouch tightly in his hand.  “Oh, it was going to be, what with you having been on pain medication when you did it, but not this, oh no - not now.”

 

Finnick spoke up in a low, sorrowful tone.  “Bunny, there’s no talkin’ him out of it.  I know the look.”  Judy looked at him quizzically as he took a drink of his pilfered beverage.

 

“Oh what, I’m gonna get ‘got’ now, it that it?” Judy asked with a smirk. 

 

“That’s what it’s about.” Finnick replied.  “You got Nick.  You got him good, even if you had no idea you were getting him… Now he’s promised to get you back and foxes are real big on their promises.”  He took another heavy drink of the bottle of cider.

 

Judy flattened her ears and gestured to Nick.  “So what, I’m supposed to live in fear now?  Spend my days lamenting that I’ve somehow bitten off more than I can chew?”  Finnick erupted, Cider spraying painfully from his nose as he put his head back down on the table, coughing and laughing loudly, the bunny recoiling from the sudden outburst.

 

Nick dabbed himself with a kitchen towel from the counter and glared at the fennec who just kept right on laughing.  “You just keep giggling, Fin… You just volunteered to help me with the getting.”  He smiled smugly at Judy which made her feel a little bit better at least, this was not in anger, he was getting her back in what seemed to be a friendly banter kind of fashion.  Finnick was still laughing so he didn’t seem too worried.

 

“Well, can we say I’ve already been got?” Judy asked.  “I mean, you tease me and trick me all the time at work.” 

 

Nick grinned at that.  “Oh no… This is already pre-ordained.  It’s destiny.  It’s an unstoppable getting.  It’s as if it already was.  You are to suffer one full strength getting, Judith Hopps.  You are officially the walking got.”  The bunny folded back her ears a little warily at that.  How bad could it be?  An exploding pie, some food coloring in some shampoo, oh no, it could be dyed fur!  Or was it just the simple threat of being gotten making her slowly go insane?  That would be it!  She was not going to let him roll her like that.

 

She inhaled deeply and stated, “Alright, fine.  I accept the getting.  When I am got I will know that it was deserved, and it will not impact me negatively thereafter?” she asked.  Nick smiled.  It was actually a genuine smile that flooded Judy with that familiar sense of comfort almost as much as his peaceful sleeping form.  It caused her ears to heat up. 

 

“As the walking got, Judy, you are already forgiven.  Fear no reprisal beyond the getting, but the getting is a terrible thing indeed.”  He grinned and leaned in, touching his finger to her suddenly wiggling nose which betrayed her nervousness.  Judy looked down at her feet then back at Nick.

 

“So, I thought you were heading out to New Reynard, you changed your mind?” Judy asked.

 

“Mom didn’t like the idea of leaving you alone while you were still getting back to full strength, especially in a somewhat less familiar place.” Nick explained.  “She’s staying nearby at a friend’s house tonight and tomorrow night and we will be taking in a movie and the like, same as we would have there,” Nick explained.  Judy nodded at that.  That made sense.

 

She then asked in a soft, curious tone, “So as I am gonna be gotten for my transgression, what was it I said that was so riotous in the first place?” she asked.

 

“Ho-lee-shit.” Finnick stated, “That really wasn’t on purpose?!  Baaahahahahahaa!”  He took his turn to walk to the bathroom.  Nick rubbed his head a bit as the bunny looked after the tiny fox curiously and then back to her partner.

 

Nick sighed and kept his hand over his eyes.  “You have already snuck up on me as I innocently slept and damn near trumpeted my eyes out of their sockets-“  Vivienne was overcome by laughter at the description, and Nick continued, “- I dare say foxes have corrupted you enough for the moment.  Some learning you will have to do on your own.” Nick laughed.

 

“I’ll tell her!” Finnick yelled from the bathroom.

 

Nick called back, “… after which I will tell her all about the Stacy Doll hustle.”

 

Finnick shouted back.  “I don’t know nuthin, bunny!  Sorry!”  Judy laughed awkwardly at that.  She looked expectantly at Nick and he held his hands up.

 

It was Vivienne who spoke next, her tone that of a gentle school teacher.  “You entered with a comment that is easily construed by the more dirty minded as sexual in nature, dear.  I promise, the suggestion was sensationally graphic.”  Nick’s eyes widened as his mother candidly pointed it out.  She gestured to Nick. “What!  She’s the walking got, she deserves to know by what circumstance comes the getting!  It’s only fair”  Judy cupped her muzzle tightly.  She was not exactly certain of what the sexual suggestion was, but she was quite certain of who she was suggesting it about.  She pulled her ears down against the front of her shoulders in embarrassment.

 

“Sweet cheese and crackers, Nick, I am so sorry.  You know I wasn’t meaning anything like that, and I would not joke about it in front of your own mother!” she flailed a bit.  Nick grinned back smugly, seemingly still fixated on the getting.  Did he already know how?  He probably already knew how!  And all Judy could do was helplessly wait.  It was coming.


	16. Threat

**Guardian Blue: Season One**

Episode 16: Threat

 

 

 

 

Judy looked at the back of her phone where it lay on the floor by the couch.  She felt silly for dropping it, but she felt even sillier for trying to look up what had embarrassed Nick so bad the previous day.  This was not the imagery she generally started her morning with.  Sure, she had intended to learn more about foxes but that was… a lot of new information in a short, graphic amount of time.  Nick opened his bedroom door, looking out sleepily.

 

“You okay?  I thought I heard a yelp.  Didn’t fall off the couch, did you?” he asked groggily.  Judy scrambled to pick up her phone and hide it before Nick could so much as fully leave his bedroom.  She did _not_ need him to see that.

 

She shook her head and in nervous innocence said a little too loudly, “Haha!  No, I just dropped my phone.  Sorry, I hope I didn’t wake you.”  Nick scratched his lower back, walking out to the kitchen shirtless.  He was wearing rather dumpy-looking grey jogging pants which were probably pretty comfortable, but the bunny suspected that he might originally have worn less and was just wearing those at this point because he had company. 

 

Nick spoke softly, as if fearful of waking other sleepers, “No, I’ve been up a little bit.”  He yawned a long, wide yawn.  Judy impatiently waited for Nick to go back to his room, or to take a shower or something.  She would obliterate her phone’s history.  She looked up just as Nick’s yawn ended, punctuated by a heart-rending kit-ish squeak.  This comforted her for some reason.  She took a deep breath and finally just needed to address it.  She would be antsy all day if she didn’t.

 

“So uh…  I wanted to say I was sorry for what it was I unintentionally suggested yesterday.  I had no idea, I promise you.”  She rubbed the back of her head, having trouble looking him in the eyes as she said it.  He seemed to notice her discomfort and his ears pinned back.

 

“You did _not_ go looking that up, did you?  I was kidding about you seeking out that education on your own.” He said with a pleasant tone, making him seem caring but slightly playful.  It was a fine line to dance.  He was either going to apologize for making her see that, or tease her for what she surely learned.

 

“Oh, I’m educated.” Judy sighed.  “I mean, I knew about that, I’m not that naïve, I just… It’s not called that.  Bunnies don’t employ a lot of euphemisms for that stuff.  I had absolutely no idea… I… How could your mom have thought I meant that?” Judy suddenly asked.  “I mean, Finnick sure, and you maybe, just for the sake of a laugh, but your mom too?” she asked.  “I mean… I don’t think even the mechanics of that would work!”  She finally looked up at Nick who was holding a half full glass of water with a blank expression on his face, doing nothing.  “Nick?” Judy asked.  Was she offending him?  It was a pretty personal conversation.

 

He blinked and put his glass of water down, pulling his ears back. “I’m sorry fluff, I just… I hadn’t expected this to be our candid morning conversation, I wasn’t ready.  I needed coffee, not water.” He chuckled.  “And to answer your question, my mom still thinks we are secretly a thing, more since the accident, so I promise you, she was putting those puzzle pieces together with a hammer.  The fact that you were so innocent about it though I think helped her to understand we are _not_ a thing.  Finnick however didn’t think we were a thing _before_ , and now he does no matter what I say, so there’s that.”  Nick sipped his water as Judy put her head in her hands.

 

She murmured shamefully, “I am so sorry about that Nick.  You have to believe me.”  Her partner grinned broadly.

 

“There’s no preventing the getting.  It will happen,” the fox practically purred. 

 

Judy whined a bit at that.  “You know I would never have intentionally done that in front of them.  Hell, even in private that would have been hard to swallow.”  She heard a squeak from Nick, who pivoted on his heel with a strained expression and gave a few other tense squeaks as he strode swiftly across the room and into the bathroom, closing the door.  Judy flattened her ears, and after a moment of reflection, cried out.  “Hey!  Stop that!  You stop doing that!”  She threw a pillow at the bathroom door as Nick burst into laughter. 

 

She stood up and put her phone on the charger to give it some extra juice while she took her morning shower and got ready for work.  Nick was off again and would be going to the movies and lunch and perhaps some other things with his mom and she would be heading back Sunday morning.  She sighed.  If he got to her and freaked her out for however long it took with the fear of being gotten that would be worse, she thought, than whatever the getting could possibly be.  She would do her best not to think about it.  Best to ignore it and be glad when it was out of the way.  How bad could it be?

 

She then remembered the exploding fountain of soda and the chain reaction of destruction caused by a fainting goat in the supermarket.  And that was Nick’s sweet, kind mother with zero planning and hardly a second of opportunity.  Dear merciful stars above, Judy might not even be able to comprehend what Nick would be capable of with time and planning on his side.  She shook her head.  Don’t think about it.  He wants you to think about it.  Just be mellow.  Nick returned from the shower with a towel around him and went into the bedroom to get ready.  Judy took her turn in the shower and dialed it down a bit colder than usual to help shock herself out of the mere seconds of erotic imagery she’d forced herself to witness.  After a quick bounce around the shower and getting dry, she went into the bedroom where Nick allowed her to get ready for work in private.

 

An hour later she was sitting in the bullpen prepared to be handed her desk assignment.  Everyone teased her about the sling and made the expected wisecracks about playing in traffic, ticketing buses for revenge, and not ticketing the cheetah for speeding since he had been running faster than the speed limit for half their chase.  Bogo arrived and began to gruffly give out the assignments for the day.  It was all pretty average stuff.  She assumed hers would likely be more of what she had been helping the records department with yesterday, but Bogo never gave her anything.  Judy stood on her chair waiting and he never gave her an assignment.  Everyone walked out and Bogo asked Judy to accompany him.  She felt that was odd but she had no intention of arguing.  She followed him quietly upstairs to one of the conference rooms usually set aside for presentations to city officials and the like.  Had she done something wrong?  Was this a dressing down?

 

Bogo stopped outside and turned to his precinct’s smallest officer.  “Hopps, what you see and hear in here, you are not to speak a word about to any mammal I do not give approval to.  That approval, at this moment, extends only to Wilde, who is not here today.”

 

Judy’s heart began hammering.  She had never been taken aside for something that was this secretive.  “I understand sir, you can trust me,” she stated seriously.  The ZPD liked transparency unless it was a big case.  She was not in full working condition for a big case yet.  Bogo opened the door to the conference room and she widened her eyes a bit, then forced herself to relax to look professional.  Sitting on one end of the long table was a mammal she certainly recognized.

 

Jack Savage.

 

He regarded Judy with a brightening expression, as if suddenly surging with hope at the sight of her.  He looked very crisp and proper in his dark blue suit, as she would have expected him somehow always to look if she were to meet him.  He bounced a little in his seat as if he had something important to say and just could not wait which struck Judy as very odd.  Then her eyes scanned down away from his blue-eyed eager expression.

 

Sitting on the heavy, polished, executive dark wood table in front of the striped grey bunny were four heavy trunks, their lids open, full to the top with Midnicampum holicithias bulbs.  It looked to be at least two hundred pounds of Nighthowlers.  Judy’s eyes widened a lot more at that than at seeing an action movie star sitting in front of them.

 

“Chief, where did these come from?  Why are they here?”  She then thought a moment.  “The Alabaster Paw… You guys got them?”  Judy’s voice lifted with hope.

 

It was Jack who answered with a bit of an accent, his grin obviously sarcastic, “No, my bonnie bunny bobby, they got me!”  He lifted both hands above the table, showing they were cuffed.  He was literally chained to the table.  Judy could not restrain her surprise.  She turned to Bogo.

 

“We arrested Savage?” she turned away from him as he waved, trying to get her attention, perhaps having not finished talking.  Celebrity or not, she didn’t answer to him.  Bogo nodded.

 

“At five o’clock this morning, Mr. Savage’s bags were noticed by lupine agents with the transit authority at the airport.  The scent of Nighthowler was strong and they forced the locks open revealing what you see here.”  Judy looked wide-eyed at the rare hybrid bunny.  She looked incredulously back at Bogo.

 

“Not to seem fanatic, sir, but… While Savage is not really a spy, he knows enough about the security culture to know he could not move hundreds of pounds of contraband in cases that aren’t even air-tight.  We _are_ looking into alternative possibilities here, right?” she asked.  She looked back to Savage who leaned back, pulling his ears back.

 

His voice was exasperated.  “See, she gets it right off the bat, so explain to me why I’m chained to a bloody desk!”  Judy and Bogo answered simultaneously, in nearly the same tone.

 

“Protocol.”

 

Savage rolled his eyes and put his head down in between his chained hands.  “Oh my god I’m stuck in a cutting-room floor draft, help me please.  I am already a no-show at a charity event!”  The doe looked at Jack and then back at Bogo.  Having dealt with wealthy, excitable suspects and victims in the past she knew pushing a lot of attention to them would only make them more animated.

 

“Do we think this is the stuff… our contact… had mentioned?” she asked, making sure not to mention Reggie Swift by name. 

 

The buffalo nodded and sat heavily at the table.  “Based on the amount and the age of some of the desiccated bulbs, we believe that this is the contraband mentioned, though we cannot be sure this is all of it.”

 

Jack interrupted.  “So you know that it’s not mine, go get the guy who you think it belongs to and let me hop along.  This is ridiculous!”  The striped bunny huffed.  Judy was feeling less and less impressed by her once somewhat-idolized action star.

 

Bogo addressed him calmly.  “We have rules that we follow for your safety as much as everyone else’s.  Please be patient.  I have already explained that we will be releasing you, but I will be assigning a detail to you while we begin an investigation on how these items got into your possession.”  Judy’s heart sank.  She did not feel up to babysitting a movie star.  This was the very opposite of what she wanted.  She would prefer parking duty to this.  Where was that bus when she needed it?

 

Savage pinched the bridge of his nose.  “I don’t care where that crap came from, I want the stuff that was _supposed_ to be in there.  There was at least three hundred thousand bucks worth of props that were going on charity auction in those cases.”

 

Judy cut in.  “Props?  It’s not like it’s valuable stuff on its own, it’s all collectible stuff.  No one’s gonna be able to sell it easily due to the notoriety, so someone’s probably just dumped it.”  Savage gave a squeak of panic. 

 

Bogo raised his voice a little, controlling the situation as he typically did.  “Calm down, we will have officers looking for it.  But we need to find out if someone was intentionally trying to implicate you for these, which is ridiculous since it’s so obvious, or if it is just a case of them unloading the stuff because it was too hot to hold onto and it was just your unlucky day.  I hope it is the latter, but if it’s the former, that’s a pretty significant threat to you, particularly given your current political direction.” 

 

Savage pulled at his chains a bit.  “I can dispel that here and now.  I have no intention of being mayor.  I have been teasing the media to keep some of the important issues on equality and economy and education on the screens and in the minds of the voters.  I would not enjoy the ungodly level of scrutiny any mayor would have to deal with after the last two, no thank you!” he tried to cross his arms in front of him which awkwardly failed because of the cuffs.  “Oh for… would you please?!  I am not going to jump out the window for crying out loud.”  Bogo sighed at that and walked over to him, unlocking the handcuffs.  He stood up, dusting himself off a little.  Judy blinked a bit at that, standing across from him at the table.  He was a tiny bit shorter than her.  She had no idea.  The doe took a slow, deep breath and finally asked the big question.

 

“Who will Savage’s detail be?”  It was fair to ask that.

 

“Fangmeyer and Wolford.”  Judy inwardly screamed with joy.  It was like looking at a bullet-hole right beside her head.  Bogo continued.  “You and Wilde will be investigating individuals who had contact with the luggage from the time it left the Palm hotel until it reached the airport.  It’s a fairly short list.”  Judy looked up curiously at her boss.

 

“That sounds like the sort of thing you’d have assigned to a detective.  Nick and I are beat cops.  I certainly won’t refuse an assignment but I am curious about that choice.”  She wanted to make it clear that she noticed, but did not want to seem ungrateful. She liked the idea of being a detective one day, when her body did not enjoy chasing cheetahs and getting flattened by buses anymore.  If this was just a chance to get her feet wet with a live investigation she’d be grateful.

 

Savage laughed loudly, and a bit annoyingly.  “Oh my god, I have made that case like a bajillion times for cop shows they floated at me.  I can’t believe you actually said it!  Why aren’t movie cops ever just running around busting shoplifters and hassling jaywalkers?  What do the detectives even do if –“  He then caught the icy glare from Bogo and went silent. 

 

The buffalo regarded Judy again.  “First, you are less imposing and we will need fast, easy cooperation for a _discreet_ investigation.  Second, if anyone from the Alabaster Paw is involved, the fact that your partner knows half the city and at least some of their dealings may come in handy for wrapping this up neatly and quietly with as little mud splashing around as possible.”  He nodded to the suddenly more appreciative Jack Savage.  “You will not be escorting Savage or anything of that nature but you will have access to him to aid in the investigation.”

 

Savage interrupted yet again.  “Wait, aid as in help with the investigation?  Do some method acting and actual police work?” he asked, seeming suddenly excited, ears tall and alert.

 

“No!” Judy and Bogo both exclaimed at the same time.  He laughed nervously. 

 

Judy took out her phone.  “Do you want me to call Nick and fill him in, or has he already been contacted?” she asked.  She utterly dreaded interrupting his time with his mom yet again, but she knew that for a high profile case Vivienne would understand.  They would likely get to explain it to her when it was all said and done.  At least they would have gotten a chance to catch the morning matinee.

 

Bogo answered sullenly, “Yes, You will need to call him.  I know that his mother is in town, do apologize for me, but it cannot be helped.  This is a very… Wilde-specific request.”  Judy gave a weak laugh.

 

“I am sure he will appreciate the necessity.  I’ll take care of it chief.”  Judy headed for the door.  She then turned, feeling suddenly that she’d been a little rude given the notoriety of their ‘guest’.  “It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Savage.” She stated, reaching out to shake his hand.  It felt odd but because he was there in the course of her duty, she regarded him immediately as part of the job and all his celebrity had evaporated immediately.  He was, at that point, a wealthy victim of a crime.  He shook her hand, and then stated warmly,

 

“It’s actually a thrill to meet you as well, Officer Hopps.  I’ve seen the videos.  You do some of the things I pretend to do.  It’s really cool.”  He nodded.  Her ears burned with hot embarrassment.  She had not expected that.

 

She smiled and spoke quickly, “I assure you it’s all quite painful and traumatizing!”  She relished his shocked expression a moment and headed out.  She then sighed as she waited by the elevator.  Her sisters were going to burn her at the stake when found out.  She flattened her ears.  If thery ever could.  At least for a bit, she wasn’t telling anyone Jack was even there.  She got onto the elevator, followed on by Wolford.  The doors closed slowly.

 

“So, healing up okay?” he asked.  She nodded, unlocking her phone so that she could call Nick and gritting her teeth as she remembered what the last thing she had been looking at was.  She turned the phone over immediately, pointing it at the floor before the image could come up.  Wolford did not seem to even have been looking down.

 

Judy answered in a chipper tone, “I’m off the medication completely and the pain’s almost gone.  It still hurts a bit in the mornings but I’ll be out of the sling tomorrow I am sure.  Might take it off in a little bit actually,” she added.  She might need to be more mobile than she’d originally planned, but still, just wandering about asking questions promised to be less active than beat work. 

 

“Well, tell Nick thanks for switching with me the other day and we will do some gaming as soon as our schedules sync up.”  He got off the elevator and Judy sighed, turning over her phone.  Sure enough, the image was there.  She closed it out and purged her history and called Nick, disaster thankfully averted. 

 

 

 

 

Nick was actually not nearly as upset as Judy thought he’d be that he got called in to work.  The fox seemed to feel a great sense of pride that he was important enough to interrupt in such a way.  He was not able to tell his mother what the case was about, but she was very enthusiastic about how he was needed specifically, and that he was making a real difference.  If anything, it felt like Judy did him some kind of favor with how happy the two of them seemed when she talked to Nick on the phone about it.  She was careful to use coded language so as not to give much away, but Nick understood.

 

About an hour after the phone call they went down to the garage and got their custom vehicle.  As usual, Judy moved to take the wheel, but her partner eagerly protested this.  This was often a losing argument for Nick, Judy preferred to drive but he had a valid point this time.  Judy's shoulder was still healing and her range of motion for steering might be impaired, so into the driver's seat the fox went.  Grumpily, Judy plopped down into the the passenger seat, taking too long for her taste to adjust the position of the seat, the belts, turning off the air-bag so it did't kill her, all the things that went into trading places with Nick.   They headed out finally to take a few interviews.  She had finally taken off her sling, but was careful with the offending arm all the same.  Her shoulder was still a little sore.  In the car, Judy filled Nick in about the full details of the case.  He seemed a bit envious that she’d met a celebrity, but his envy faded as she made it clear to Nick how the hybrid lapine was very much like every other wealthy victim they had helped. The charm was for the big screen only, it seemed.  Nick was a bit surprised how fast after the discovery that the contraband existed it had surfaced.

 

He spoke as she looked out the window of the cruiser.  “I get the impression that Swift’s boss realized that a rumor was out.  I would not be surprised if a few former bearers of the white cross go missing.  We might want to let the detectives know that if they manage to tag someone in the know, this might be a one-time only opportunity for them to not get dead.”  Judy nodded darkly at that.  It might be a really dangerous time for someone to be in that line of work.  There was a lull in the conversation as they drove.  Judy thought about the implications of the media getting the scoop on Savage being caught with a ton of Nighthowlers.  Who would benefit from that?  An anti-pred group, perhaps?  Savage espoused unity and equality, but to extremist groups, equality always appeared to be an extreme and opposing position.  There was the chance that Swinton, who intended to run for mayor, could be behind it, but Judy doubted she would have pinned so much on him.  There was also the worrisome timing of it.  Days after the ZPD found out about the stash it was thrown out into the open.  Could there be a leak in the ZPD, or even someone working for the Alabaster Paw with a badge?

 

Nick broke the silence.  “I’m sorry if you were upset this morning.  It wasn’t my intention.  I was trying to make light, not tease you.  It really wasn’t a big deal to me, the ‘getting’ aside.”  Judy looked up at her partner.

 

“What?” she asked, genuinely taken by surprise.

 

“About the…  You know…  The stuff you looked at on your phone.  It’s not like all foxes are pervs or anything.  It’s more a city culture thing.  You hear that stuff in school, and everyone has gross or silly euphemisms for everything.  I know you are a bit classier than… all of that.”  He was still looking out the window.  Was Nick actually worried that she was… what… disgusted by having seen it?  Disgusted at him and his mother for knowing about it?

 

Judy spoke up softly.  “Hey, I don’t think that’s gross or anything… like I said, it’s not like I didn’t know about it.  Bunnies are pretty blunt about that because… well… we just are.  I get that it’s laden with more taboo for a lot of mammals, and sure, I’m a bit shy about it because I have zero personal experience but I don’t think less of you or your mom over knowing about it.  I embarrassed myself gloriously but I doubt it was as bad as it was for you!” she laughed, trying to make sure he knew she didn’t see him differently just because foxes get up to the same kinds of things she knew bunnies did.  It was different in some ways, sure, but no more offending than any other adult material she’d seen.  Nick looked at her blankly.  She looked back.  Had she said something else dumb?  There were so many landmines when talking about this stuff; it’s why she almost never did.

 

“Seriously?” Nick asked.  Judy folded her long ears back down her back again.

 

“Seriously what?  I am not offended Nick.  Embarrassed for having said that to you and your mom by accident, but not offended.”  She wanted to be as clear as possible about that.  Nick could be so moody if he thought she was upset.

 

Nick spoke in a curious tone, however.  “No, I mean, you didn’t really do the dating thing at all?” Judy put her head on the steering wheel as they came to a stop light.  Not this discussion.  It was bad enough dealing with her mom for so many years.  The fox seemed to realize he’d stuck a nerve.  “Oh… Sorry, you know… that’s not my business.  I’ll shut up,” he said.

 

Judy leaned back and sighed as Nick resumed driving.  She didn’t want him to feel like a jerk for asking it either.  “Two things, Nick,” she began, “First, as I mentioned I am allergic to the hormone therapy and becoming a mother is not something I have any interest in, and that’s a pretty significant risk in dating for me, so I focused entirely on my goals like a good career-bunny.”  She laughed a bit at that to lighten the mood despite how boring that probably sounded.  “Second, since you are a fox the societal norms for bunny attractiveness are lost on you.  I’m aggressive, strong willed, and fearless.  I can be violent, I can be reckless, I am well known for picking fights with bullies in my home town.  I have a lean, strong form great for what I do, earned from years of training for it, but bucks like a softer, more cuddly and meek doe.  There’s a reason I got saddled with the nickname Jude the Dude, Nick, and that reason does not bring all the bucks to the yard, I promise.”  This of course, left out that while Angela was athletic she still dated perfectly fine and her toned form was more an excuse for her somewhat disinterested behavior instead.  The fox looked over at his partner with a quick glance as he continued driving.  It was uncomfortably silent a moment and she hoped she had not really made him regret bringing it up.  She didn’t mind that he asked, but it was not an enjoyable topic of conversation for her.  She was lacking in that social department despite being very social every other way.  She knew that.

 

Nick chuckled softly after a moment and the bunny looked quizzically at him as he finally spoke.  “It’s funny… The same stuff you think makes you unattractive to a bunny are the things foxes _want_ to see in a vixen.  I would not be worried about your attractiveness; you will only ever attract the one who wants you for what you are.  You don’t need anyone who needs you to change any of that.”  Judy’s ears burned a moment at the perhaps unintended compliment.  She then felt a chill run through her again.  Did Nick see her as particularly vixen-like?  She was a bunny who liked stalking and chasing a fox, would fight a bear, and her body was now the final resting place for at least some portion of one unfortunate tuna fish.

 

She was feeling more predatory than she felt was healthy and if she was seriously sending out fox-vibes that was just another drop in the slowly filling bucket.  Hell, the premise of her entire job was about hunting, wasn’t it?  She inhaled deeply and let out a sigh.  Maybe she could talk to Dr. Carlisle, the ZPD’s counselor, so she could at least find out if it was something she should be concerned about.

 

She looked back to Nick who had seemed worried by her silence and spoke hastily.  “I… I don’t regret what I am or anything, Nick.  I am just not really very concerned with dating and the like.  I never was.  I guess because I know what is expected of me as a bunny…  I don’t need that yet.”  She shrugged.  Nick smiled and nodded at that, seeming to understand fine.  They were nearing their destination.

 

He spoke up again.  “You have only a little less experience than I do, so I would not feel disadvantaged in that department, just so you know.”  Judy widened her eyes.  Most significantly, Nick did not like to ever talk about something he felt would be seen as a short-coming for him.  She looked back to the road.

 

“You don’t mean to tell me that you think you are unattractive for a fox…” she smirked.  She would take the opportunity to compliment him back.

 

“Oh no, I’m amazing, it’s not that.” He grinned smugly.  Judy widened her eyes at the conceit and laughed, punching Nick’s shoulder.  He laughed at that as well, and continued.  “… No, I mean… You know the reason.  You knew it by the end of the second day you knew me.”  He trailed off, perhaps to let Judy figure it out.  She thought back to that time that seemed a lifetime ago, and then folded back her ears. 

 

She ventured a guess that she hoped was not offensively incorrect.  “You have trust issues.”  She stated bluntly.

 

“Bingo.  You think I have issues making friends, consider what I’d be like trying to choose a mate.  You gotta make yourself awfully vulnerable to let a vixen put her teeth on you like that.”  He laughed openly, and a bit dismissively.

 

“Teeth?” Judy asked, a little confused.

 

Nick blinked and looked back at his partner as they reached another stoplight.  He then seemed to understand something and patted his leg with a laugh as he figured it out.

 

“Oh that’s right… Bunnies are a little different about that.”  He turned a bit and looked at Judy, smiling cheerfully, “So, long muzzles like mine are not well suited for kissing.  I mean, not the romance novel passionate kind like you see in a Jack Savage film.” He laughed, making the obvious playful reference to the buck they were helping.  “We kiss, sure, but if it’s leading to more than that we usually end up expressing our… desire with our teeth.  You won’t see much of that in film because that is private, made-for-cable fox relations right there.  Gentle biting, neck, over the shoulders, teeth barely touching.”  Nick seemed a little flustered trying to explain it which Judy found adorable until she felt a jolt go through her.  She had felt Nick’s teeth on her neck before.  She drew in a slow deep breath.  That was not a kiss though, it was a bite.  It was meant to look like a bite.  She scolded herself for even thinking about that.

 

Judy nodded to Nick and chuckled, deciding to make light of that train of thought.  “… So the only neck your teeth have ever touched belonged to a bunny?” she asked with a playful smirk.  Nick smirked smugly back.

 

“And rightly so, you are the only one I’ve ever trusted enough.”  His voice was sweet and kind as he said it and she felt another jolt through her.  He could not have intended that to sound like it did.  Judy laughed nervously and thumped Nick’s shoulder again.  He smirked a bit longer, and they pulled up at the scene of the first contact they were going to speak with about the hybrid rabbit’s luggage.  They got out of the car and the entire session of banter was erased as Judy cried out.

 

“Wait!  Stop!”  A lean, dark-toned jackal darted out the revolving doors.  He was adorned in a bellhop’s outfit.  “Nick, that’s our contact!”  Both the bunny and the fox took off after him down the road a bit on the sidewalk a little way, and then into an alley that lead into the back of a shopping center.  Judy winced in pain but kept up her pace while calling for backup.  She was not supposed to be doing this, but she could not let this guy get away.  Fleeing implied guilt and they needed to find out what he was possibly guilty of.

 

“Judy, slow down, I’ll tag this one, he can’t outrun the radios!” Nick called out.  The bunny did not slow down.  She knew her partner would not either.  This was a high profile case.  Neither of them wanted to tell Bogo they botched this chase.  Nick was much faster than the injured rabbit however, and soon vanished around the side of one of the buildings in the shopping center.  Judy kept her pace at a constant but lamented being left behind.  She slowed a moment, holding her shoulder and then widened her eyes.  The jackal had doubled back, perhaps having ducked behind something to let Nick pass.  Judy stood in his way but he did not seem impressed. Most were not and regretted it, but this one seemed ready.  He did not try to get past the bunny, he actually attacked her, slamming into her and pinning her to the ground.

 

“What are you doing?!” the bunny exclaimed.  Backup was on the way, she could already hear sirens, she would just have to struggle with this idiot until Nick or one of them got there and she could give him hell till then, she was sure.  “Get off, you're making things worse for yourself!” she cried.

 

“This is just extra credit!” the jackal laughed, and struck the bunny hard in the already bruised cheek.  Perhaps he expected that to be enough to put Judy out of the chase because he stood up to continue running.  Judy’s face hurt but her fury was crimson red from that.  She arched back and put both her feet between his thighs, kicking upward so hard that the Jackal came up off the ground.  He howled in pain and rolled onto his back.  He then got onto all fours and grabbed Judy by the ears.  The bunny saw a glint of metal, a knife, and she cringed, hands up to try to block the weapon but the canid howled in pain a second time.  The bunny looked up and saw the tell-tale neon green fluff of the back of a tranquilizer dart in the jackal’s neck.  He slumped forward over Judy, growling savagely.

 

“Still bad day... for you…” he growled.  Judy grabbed his wrist, holding off the knife successfully due in part to the tranquilizer.  This guy was actually trying to kill her!  Why the hell was he trying to kill her and not just trying to get away?  A dark red-toned foot flicked into her field of view, the knife knocked out of the jackal’s hand, and then it appeared again savagely planted into the side of the dark-furred canid’s temple, sending him flying backward.  Judy rolled onto her hands and feet in time to see Nick straddling the suspect and holding him by the shirt, shaking the holy hell out of him.  Judy was stunned a moment by the expression Nick wore.  It was as bad as the one Manchas had when he was chasing them in the rain forest, teeth bared, eyes fixed on his target.  She had never seen him like that and it was absolutely horrifying.

 

Nick fairly screamed at the limp Jackal.  “What the hell were you trying to do?!"

 

The bunny intervened.  “Nick, stop!  He’s out cold!  You tranqued him, remember?”  Judy pulled Nick away and he shook the jackal hard once more before dropping him limply to the parking lot.  The vulpine turned suddenly and put his hands on either side of Judy’s face, his eyes going instantly from rage to fear.

 

“Did he get you.  Are you cut?” he asked.  She’d seen him a bit protective after a fight before, but not quite to this degree.

 

She spoke a bit more softly, understanding her partner’s distress.  “No, Nick.  Calm down.  You got him before he could.  You did great!  It’s alright.”  Judy’s heart raced.  That jackal was going to kill her, she knew it.  Why in the world was he trying to do that?  At the same time she felt exhilarated.  They might well have already found their suspect.  She was suddenly burning like an inferno to get this case wrapped up and put a bow on it.  Nick sucked in a deep breath to try to calm down, and called in an update to dispatch on the radio.  Judy looked at the unconscious suspect.  Nick did not seem to have caused any damage to him.  She supposed if he had been seriously out of control the jackal would be in really bad shape.  Without invitation, her sister’s words crept back into her mind.  Would he fight for you?  She certainly knew the answer for that, at least.

 

Nick obsessively checked on Judy a bit more before backup arrived.  Grizzoli checked on Judy and collected the unconscious jackal and chucked him carelessly into the back of his cruiser for safe keeping until an ambulance arrived.  Nick had used a medium dart but reactions could happen and it was always best to keep an eye on them.  This meant that the bear had to stay with the sleeping lump until help arrived. 

 

Mostly quiet as they rested from the chase, Nick and Judy waited for the ambulance to arrive and to make sure that the jackal was not in any danger from the tranquilizer.  It was a good twenty minutes of doing nothing and that let Judy reflect a bit on what happened.  Someone had tried to kill her outright.  It made no sense.  What did he mean by extra credit?  Was he supposed to do that?  Had someone told him to, or was it a personal thing?  She knew she was still not terribly popular with some predators after that awful press conference but to want to kill her?  That was unthinkable!  Judy finally got up and held her shoulder again, wincing in pain.  That wasn’t helpful.  Nick’s concern was immediate.

 

“I’m gonna get in touch with Chief Bogo.  I can run you home.  We got the guy and the detectives can do the rest.” He said in rapid-fire.  Judy glared at her partner.

 

“Please, Nick, it was already hurting.  That just didn’t help.  I’ll be fine.  We need to go back to the hotel.  The fact that he bolted meant that the switch probably happened there.  There may be important evidence.”  She walked slowly back toward the building they had left in such a hurry.  Fortunately the chase was not far, despite how winded someone attempting to end her life had left her.

 

Nick fell into step behind her.  “Right, the stuff that was in the cases, for charity.  Judy, another officer can check on it.”  His use of her real name told her he was serious.  She understood that he cared but she could not allow him to think she needed sheltered.  The security attachment junk was a lie and she needed to back off from it.  Judy turned hard on her heel.

 

“Nick!  I’m fine!  No cuts, doubt there’s even bruises, I’m not an egg. I trained for this just as long and hard as you, or Fangmeyer, or Wolford!  I can do my job.  I can take a tumble and keep up.  I will take the chance that the hotel is all out of bunny-slaying bellhops!” Nick stood in front of her, his face very cross.

 

He put a hand out to keep her from turning away again.  “I get that, and trust me, I more than any other mammal trust that you can do the job every bit as well as a tiger and that you are willing to give your life for the people of Zootopia.  But damn it Judy, you aren’t disposable!  Not to me!”  Judy backed up a little, ears falling as she saw the pained expression on Nick’s face.  The pause forced her to think a moment.  This was the second time in a week she’d been inches from her own mortality, she realized.  She looked around, seeing that no one else had caught the display. 

 

She then motioned for him.  "Okay!  I get it.  Come on - not here.  Let’s get out of the parking lot.  We can investigate the hotel together.  Let me do that and we will talk more where it’s quiet.”

 

Nick put his hands on his head in exasperation.  “I don’t want to talk about it, Judy.  I want you to slow down and not get killed!  We aren’t the only cops on the force!”  Judy was a bit more startled at his tone and stepped forward, taking the fox by the hand.

 

“Come on.  Not out here.  I get it, okay?  I would feel the same if it was you.”  Nick followed pretty willingly once Judy had grabbed him.  They made it to the hotel, the bunny finally having mostly caught her breath.  Inside she found that Wolford and the detective were already there.  Judy stood at the door as Wolford looked up and then noticed that he was looking right back down.  Judy was still holding Nick’s paw.  She sighed.  _Real professional, bunny._

 

She let go and waved as she approached.  “You made it here quick,” she noted.

 

Wolford nodded, his ears back with an easily readable smirk.  “We were in the area already because we were going to do a survey around the hotel in case the stuff was dumped nearby.  When we heard you had bolted after a bellhop we decided we would start here.  Pawlander is having them run a report to see where he used his key-card.  Betting it’s in a disused room.  What a mook.”  Nick growled in obvious disgust at the jackal indicated by conversation.  “Don’t take it personal, Wilde.  Tons of suspects run.  We expect it.”

 

Judy pinned her ears back and offered softly, “That’s... not what’s eating him.  He ran from Nick, but he decided to fight me.  He had a knife.”

 

Wolford’s eyes went wide.  “He attacked you?” he asked.

 

Nick growled darkly, “He had her pinned down.  he wasn’t fighting to flee.  He tried to murder a cop.  End of story.”  Nick crossed his arms. 

 

Wolford seemed to be alarmed.  “You fought him off injured the way you are?”

 

“Nick shot him with a tranquilizer dart.” Judy said.  “Then knocked him off of me.”  She downplayed the aggression the fox had shown to her attacker.

 

Wolford whistled to Judy.  “Good thing you were running with a sharpshooter.  Nick’s one of the best right out of the academy.” Wolford complimented.  This seemed to make Nick feel a little better.  He had trained for just that situation and was able to pull through when Judy needed him.  He should be happy about it. 

 

The fox spoke up.  “Okay Judy.  Detective Pawlander and Wolford’s expert nose are all over this case.  I would feel one hundred percent myself again if you would at least agree to come back to the precinct and see the nurse there for your shoulder, make sure it’s not messed up again.”  Judy sighed at her partner but with a little reluctance, agreed.  If it would make him stop acting like her mom, she would do it.  She got back in the cruiser after being redirected again to the passenger side and buckled up with some awkward effort, the fox hopping in and seeming quickly more cheerful.

 

The drive back to the precinct was less embarrassing as they went over theories back and forth as to what was going on.  The jackal they had captured was Ryan Yappi, and had no criminal record but had been registered while he was a juvenile as a suspect in a couple of theft cases that would indicate he had the capacity to end up in the Alabaster Paw.  Nick felt that it was possible that Yappi had been ordered by Darmaw to get rid of the Nighthowlers once it was obvious that there was a leak about them.  Judy felt it was likely that if they knew there was a leak they needed to unload them quickly because someone was going to take a long walk off a short pier over that offense and they did not want to be left holding evidence that would prove motive if the police did not already know about it.  This was going to be a mess either way.  As they arrived at the precinct and were almost to the infirmary, Judy’s phone rang.  She figured it would be Bogo having just gotten the information from the detective on the updated case and answered immediately.

 

“Jude the Dude!”  Her father’s voice rang out.  She gritted her teeth.  She was just about to walk into the nurse’s office, she did not want her parents finding out that she’d just had another brush with death!  She needed to get him off the phone fast!

 

“Hey dad!  About to go into a meeting, what’s up?” she said hastily.

 

“Hey, well, don’t want to take up a bunch of your time.  I know you are doing important stuff in the big city.  Your mother and I are going to be in town tomorrow.  We’re looking into finally replacing that beat up old truck due to some additional revenue caused by the free advertisement we got from the Munch match!  Are you okay with us stopping by and bringing a pizza and visiting for a little bit, just your mother and me?” he asked cheerfully.

 

“Yes, yes!  That sounds great, Dad.  I would love that.” she said with anxiousness as she waited outside the door of the infirmary, Nick patting his foot in mock impatience.

 

“Great!  What time are you off work?” he asked.

 

“I will be home around four-thirty, I guess?” Judy stated, looking at her naked wrist since she did not have on a watch.

 

“Great, we will make it five so you can get in alright and we will swing on by!  Look forward to seein’ ya!” Judy sighed heavily.

 

“Yes!  Me too.  Drive safely, dad.  Good luck finding a new vehicle.” she chirped.  “Take care, have to go, boss is waiting!” she fired away.

 

“Love you Jude!” her dad drew out the call.

 

“Love you too!  Bye!”  Judy said hastily.  She then sighed at Nick.

 

“I swear, always the least convenient time,” she laughed to her partner.

 

“Oh I remember.” Nick stated.  He leaned in close behind her, his voice advertising a grin that the bunny did not even have to see to know was there.  “You did tell your parents that you no longer live in your old apartment, right?”  Judy froze, hand on the door handle to the infirmary. 

 

Uncharacteristically she groaned out, “Oh _shit_ _!_ ”


	17. Parent

**Guardian Blue: Season One**

Episode 17: Parent

 

 

 

 

As Nick took his shower, Judy tapped her foot nervously.  She needed to get this out of the way and she was not exactly looking forward to it.  Her shoulder turned out to be fine which she ground into Nick the whole way to the next interview, but it was still a bit more pained than it had been the previous day so her sling, at the nurse’s insistence, was back on.  Because of this, Judy did not try to do a video call; she just called the house phone.  It was her mother who answered. 

 

“Judy!  This is an early call for you.  How’s the shoulder?” her tone was warm and almost festive.  Bonnie Hopps liked a good car trip.

 

“Hey Mom!  It’s doing a bit better.  It’ll take some time to be a hundred percent.”

 

“Your father’s washing the truck, did you need him, or me?” she asked, usually straight to the point when it came to phone calls.

 

“Either is fine, I was calling to find out, are you two still going to be coming down today?” she asked. 

 

“That’s the intention.  We found a seller who is willing to take the old one off our hands and take a bit off the price.  Looks like a pretty good deal.”  She seemed to be in high spirits.  That was helpful at least.  “Is there a problem with the visit?” 

 

Judy folded her ears back.  It would not be hard to just cancel but she knew that would worry her family terribly after she’d just recently been injured, so instead she decided to go with as much truth as she could without seeming evasive for delaying telling them.

 

She spoke in a similar chipper tone, “Well, you remember I was telling Dad I wanted to get out of my apartment because it was not on a great side of town, right?”

 

Her mother replied swiftly, “Absolutely, after hearing that you got mugged-“

 

“I wasn’t mugged; I just had someone grab my bag when I put it down.  Stop saying I was mugged!” Judy protested.

 

Her mother spoke back in a measured tone, “I fail to see the sunshine and singing roses in between the two terms, Judy.  Anyway, you were saying?” she asked.

 

“Well, I am out of that apartment.  Turns out, it got condemned!”  She braced herself despite having said it in a happy, almost playful tone.

 

“The … The apartment you were living in got shut down?”  Her words were stunned, as she expected.

 

“Yep.” Judy said frankly.  She didn’t have to say when.

 

“Where are you living then?  Do you need some help, Judy, why didn’t you tell us?” she asked, sounding intensely concerned.

 

“I don’t need bailed out, I promise.  Till I can get a new place lined up, given as I intended to leave anyway, I’m staying with Nick for a while.  You two are welcome to visit me here though.”  Judy crossed her fingers. 

 

Her mother’s answer came in slow, careful enunciation.  “You are… living with Nick?” she asked.  Damn.  She knew her mom would fixate on that.

 

“Just temporarily.  Turns out I am small and come with so little stuff that he barely notices me in his apartment.” Judy gritted her teeth.  There was a long, uncomfortable pause.

 

Her mother finally responded.  “You will need to give us the address and we might need some help finding it, you know your dad’s sense of direction in the big city.  Nick’s okay with suddenly having company like this?”  Judy was a little surprised.  Her mother’s tone sounded a little more normal at least.

 

Judy spoke a little more confidently.  “Nick will be heading over to a friend’s house after work.  We got sucked into a big case unexpectedly yesterday morning and he had to cancel his plans so he’ll be out when you guys get here, but he sends his regards.”  Judy felt a little better that she was not getting interrogated over it.

 

“Alright, we will meet up with you there then, we look forward to seeing you, Judy!” her mother chimed.  She seemed back to her good mood.  They hung up the phone and Judy sighed, getting ready to take her shower.  She hoped that this was not causing a real emotional conflict for her mom.  She knew that Bonnie lamented Judy’s choice to remain outside of a relationship and her living with a male fox would not attract bucks.  She knew that would bother her mom, but all she had to do was act seriously happy the whole time and it would be enough.  In a few weeks or so Judy’s life would return to some semblance of normalcy and things would stop feeling as crazy as they had since right before she visited her family just a week before. 

 

Nick exited the bathroom in his dark blue floral-print towel.  “It’s all yours.  Do you think we’ll have time to stop by the coffee place on the way?” he asked.

 

“I wasn’t the one who decided to hang out with Mom and Finnick until midnight playing pool and drinking.  You aren’t gonna rush me through my shower after you spent 45 minutes on yours!” Judy laughed.

 

Nick scoffed, then widened his eyes.  “Oh God, do not let Finnick hear you call her Mom.”  The fox recoiled a bit at that.

 

“Hey, she said I was family, I’m allowed!” Judy teased.

 

“I’m gonna need to buy more coins it seems,” Nick professed.

 

“Ooooooh, scary, the _getting_ is coming, and this time it’s brought friends.  Getting, the Movie.  _Two_!” Judy made spooky hand gestures.  Nick smirked.

 

“You are less fearful of it than you should be.”  He crossed his arms.

 

“I’m a trained officer of the law; I can’t afford to be skittish.”  Judy headed for the bathroom to get ready.

 

“It’s not a matter of affording to,” Nick called out as she closed the door.  “It’s all a matter of learning the right thing to fear!”

 

 

 

 

“There were no security cameras in the back of the shopping center where things got violent, so you can bet your jackal buddy from yesterday is gonna have his own story for what went down back there.” Nick explained.  He was reading the updates in the system concerning the case. 

 

Judy looked up and smirked.  “He’s not _my_ jackal buddy; I seem to remember you holding him in your arms as he peacefully slept.”  Judy had not said as much, but she was a little shaken up by the fact that the guy didn’t try to get away, he wanted to kill her.  It felt surreal.  There was no reason for that kind of hatred and violence.  Nick’s opting toward light banter was making her feel a bit better again.  It usually did.  The city could throw some dark things at an optimistic bunny some days.  Judy looked up from her cubicle across from Nick’s in such a way that they were back to back in a small alcove down from larger officer’s desks.  “Has he been interviewed yet?  Do we know why he decided to jump on me with a knife?” she asked.  Nick shook his head. 

 

“He’s requested a lawyer and denies ever having done it.  We will end up having to testify against him of course.  Probably gonna be a whole day tied up in that mess.  Assault with a deadly weapon with intent is a steep charge.”

 

Judy eventually spoke again, having moved on to the next case.  “They found all of Savage’s stuff, so that’s a bit less for us to have to worry about.”

 

“Empty room?” Nick asked.

 

“Yep.  It had been closed to repair the air conditioning.  All the stuff was there, as well as three Nighthowler bulbs.  With that and the suspect bailing and then trying to assault a cop, I’d say our striped lapine is in the clear,” she remarked.

 

“So, was he everything you thought he would be?” Nick asked, closing his laptop and picking up his coffee, getting ready to head out on patrol.

 

“Who, Jack Savage?  Hah!  He’s…  He’s nice enough I guess, but he’s got that same insulated rich boy feel that so many of those types do.  If he were relaxed and not so involved with himself I think he might actually be charming.”  Judy teased the fox, aiming the barb more at him.

 

“You could have milked the whole knife attack thing for a date I bet.  Your sisters would have imploded.” Nick chuckled.

 

“I would rather date a drunk Finnick at an amusement park full of rides they won’t let him get on.” Judy proclaimed.

 

Nick laughed hard at that as they headed to the car.  “I will tell him you said that!” 

 

Judy aimed a missed kick at the fox’s retreating posterior.  “Don’t you dare, he’s sensitive about the height thing!” she cried.  She knew she was not likely to land any of her kicks since she had to be careful while still wearing the sling on her arm.  Her shoulder was not hurting much that day fortunately.

 

Nick called back behind him.  “You said Jack was shorter too.  You have a thing for short guys, huh?” Nick teased, stepping up his pace again.  Judy quickened her pace to chase him.

 

“I didn’t say that!  Get back here, Slick!” she shouted.  Still in a bit of a run they both skidded to a halt in the bullpen, Judy clearing her throat and trying to compose herself as she had hardly realized she had been running after the fox the whole way.  He could get to her so bad when he started teasing.  She looked up and saw a pleasant expression on Wolford.

 

“Shoulder doing any better?” he asked as he looked back and forth between the bunny and the fox.

 

“A bit, yes.  I didn’t get it messed up again when I got knocked down, fortunately.  Good job finding the stuff in that closed room.  I bet our special guest was happy to see that.”  Judy was not aware who else knew Savage was involved in all of this so she was careful not to mention his name.

 

“Exuberant would not have done it justice.  Went on and on about movie-time-frame solving of the case.  It was flattering but mostly aimed at you and your partner.  The detective was so kind as to inform him of your brush with death to drive home that it was not an easy storybook drama deal.”  Judy groaned.  She just did not crave attention, certainly not from near-strangers.  She would make it a point to avoid running into that particular celebrity mammal again.

 

“Quiet down everyone.”  Bogo entered a mostly-silent room.  If it were dead silent with barely the sound of Higgins’ well known mouth-breathing, he’d still say it.  He got to work on the docket and updated various things going on.  It was a fairly mundane workload and Judy was, for one, looking forward to that, given that her folks were going to be in town this evening.  Bogo finally got to her and her partner and pushed his glasses down his nose a little.

 

“Uh oh.” Nick knew what that meant.  They were not going to like their assignment.

 

“Uh oh is right.  Detectives found a lab in Ryan Yappi’s apartment, complete with complex research notes and extensive amounts of refined Nighthowler.  For the officers who are not aware of what happened yesterday, which should include most of you if you are not the gossiping Gerties I think you are, Hopps and Wilde took down a suspect linked to the discovery of a large number of Nighthowler bulbs at the Zootopia airport.  Ryan Yappi, the suspect, was creating a form of Nighthowler Serum.  At least, he seemed to be trying to.”  There was some murmuring and it was obvious by the forced nature of the questions that most folks already knew about the takedown but not the lab.  Nick and Judy looked at one another with worried expressions however.  The thought that a predator was making the stuff was hard to fathom.  It caused so much trouble for them before. 

 

Nick put a paw up and asked curiously, “I take it the investigation on this will include the original arresting officers?”

 

Bogo pushed his glasses down a little again, making Nick cringe.  “Sadly, the news gets worse.  When tranq darts are used we run a blood test because we have to verify certain conditions are not present and if they are, offer treatment right away to make sure that a suspect is not permanently harmed by the tranquilizer.  All of you know that, but because of the nature of the take down we were concerned that evidence may have been eaten or stashed inside the unusually aggressive Mr. Yappi.  We tested for MH, or Nighthowler, in his system and he popped positive for it.”

 

Judy widened her eyes.  “Wait, you mean that guy was savage?  But he was still talking, he wasn’t _acting_ fully savage.”  There was a lot of murmuring again.

 

Bogo spoke again.  “Quiet everyone…  We believe, in reviewing the samples found in his custom lab, we may have an idea of what he was trying to do, and it’s not going to make you feel any better, Hopps.”  She glanced to Nick and then to Wolford who shrugged and shook his head, apparently not knowing what this was about either.

 

Judy spoke with determination.  “I can take it sir.”

 

Bogo resumed.  “I am going to start by telling you that Mr. Yappi fully expected to make it back to his apartment to get his notes which we now have, and then I am going to tell you why that was.”  There was more murmuring before the chief spoke again.  “The compound he was working on has the side effect of increasing anger and aggression, not unlike quite a few other drugs on the market do, even liquor in some folks, but that’s not the _intent_ of the serum as it was mixed.  It was bound with two nerve-active proteins, each derived from a common bacterium… long and boring technobabble aside the intent of this serum, which appears was successful, was to make a mammal immune to our police issue tranquilizer specifically.”  There was a collective gasp in the room, and Judy’s blood ran ice cold.

 

The bunny silenced the room by speaking up.  “But sir, Nick shot him with a tranquilizer dart and it worked, the serum wasn’t entirely effective.”  She reflected on that a moment as she said it.  It had… sort of worked.  He didn’t go down right away.  There was more talking and the chief motioned for it to stop.  It immediately did.

 

“I was curious about that myself, Hopps, and I reviewed your reports and spoke with a neurologist concerning this.  The location that Yappi was shot released the tranquilizer close to his brain stem, impairing his motor control and slowing him a bit, but he remained conscious until Wilde knocked him off of you.  I suspect given your precarious position your partner did not do so very gently.  Immune to the tranquilizer is one thing.  Immune to being physically knocked unconscious is another.  I do not condone use of physical force when it’s no longer necessary but in this case, it literally kept your skin on body.”  Judy slumped in her seat, her ears peeking above the table and nothing else.  She was already shaken by the aggression and how close she’d been to feeling that sharp steel, but the tranquilizer would not have even been enough to stop it?  It was because Nick kicked the jackal in the head.

 

Extra credit.  He wanted Nick to shoot him.  He was doing a live test of the serum!  But would he have actually cut Judy or was he just using the knife as a means of making sure Nick shot him?  He was overly aggressive from the drug so he still might have.  It was a horrifying prospect. 

 

Nick shook Judy from her thoughts as he spoke again.  “I was still over the line in my own aggression, I don't need to be told that, but knowing that now, we should all be more cautious if we are dealing with an unusually aggressive subject.  A tranq might not be enough.”

 

Judy did not like hearing Nick second guess himself in front of the other officers and did not want him hating himself for how angry he’d seemed in front of her.  She spoke up again finally.  “Sir, this being said, what is our assignment?  I suspect it’s related?” Judy asked.  Bogo nodded, taking his glasses off.  Nick sighed with relief, causing the other officers to laugh a little in spite of themselves.  Nick was the one who had originally pointed it out that the chief had a ‘tell’ for bad news.

 

Bogo stated in a little lighter tone, “You will be speaking with the originator of the first serum to find out if he knows any other individuals who were doing general research with this botanical element to see if we can get some leads and get ahead of this thing.  We don’t know how much more of this is out there, if Yappi was the only one and was performing experiments on his own, or if he had help.  We do not want mistakes concerning use of force being made and eroding the faith the public has in the police.”  Nick nodded at that.  “Dismissed!” 

 

Judy did not realize that she’d practically run from the room until an out-of-breath fox had to catch up to her.  She looked back at him, holding her ears back behind her head tightly, gritting her teeth.

 

“As if my size doesn’t give me enough disadvantage, now I might not even be able to rely on the one equalizer I have when dealing with more than one suspect.  That’s not an inviting prospect.”  She sighed.  Nick fell into step beside her.

 

“Well, at least we know ‘Mama Wilde’s Old Fashioned Boot-to-da-head’ still works so they aren’t given super powers with that stuff, but yeah, that’s not an ability I want to rely on when facing a couple pachyderms, trust me!  You officially owe me lunch now, I think.”  Nick nodded.  Judy felt a little tug inside her away from the morose fear that was beginning to boil over how helpless she had really been the previous day.  Nick’s playfulness really helped with her stress on days like this one. 

 

She smiled at that and climbed into the cruiser.  “Hopefully this is a personal project for this guy and we don’t have to worry about this being the hot new thing for our gangs and the like.  Given that all the notes were there, at his house, it would seem to indicate that, right?”  Nick nodded encouragingly.

 

“Yeah, but man, he will be under some serious lock and key.  I bet he doesn’t see a single other mammal by himself ever again.  That’s crazy.”  They pulled out of the garage and Judy made her way toward their intended destination.  The rest of the trip was thankfully not bound to the rather dark news they had just received, Nick was explaining to Judy his plans for the evening to hang out with Finnick.  They were going to shoot pool with a few of the smaller vulpine’s friends.  Judy made her partner promise no hustling, but did so playfully given that the genuine accusation of it might have been a sore spot still, one that she did not intend to rub.  Judy figured that her parents would be there only an hour or so since it was a long drive back to Bunnyburrow and they would hopefully be in a new vehicle so they would still be getting used to it and not want to drive it late in case it had issues they were not aware of.  There were places in between where one would prefer not to be stranded.

 

Finally, they pulled up to a small storefront in a strip mall just shy of the border wall to Tundratown and got out.  Judy walked in first, a little set of chimes hanging over the door ringing as they entered.  A smiling face greeted them that was a nice change from their previous investigation. 

 

He spoke gleefully, “Well I didn’t know who they might send but I couldn’t be happier it was you!”.  He walked out from behind the counter of his small, lovely flower shop and strode swiftly over to Judy and hugged her.  He hugged the bunny every single time he saw her.  As far as he was concerned she saved his life twice.  The first time was when she found him where Lionheart was holding the missing mammals, and the second time was when she cracked the Nighthowler case and made a cure possible.  She hugged back tightly and he moved over to Nick, hug armed and ready, but the fox did so more awkwardly.  He wasn’t as used to that as Judy was.

 

The fox spoke up as he struggled out of the hug.  “Okay, so, Chief Bogo phoned ahead I am sure.  Did he tell you why we were here?”

 

Otterton took a more serious expression and moved over to the door, flipping the sign over to show they were closed for lunch, and then back to the counter.  He hopped up on it and sat down casually.  He and Nick and Judy had actually done lunch a few times since the ordeal so he was pretty comfortable around them.

 

Emmet spoke in a hushed tone.  “I am not sure where to begin…”  He cleaned his glasses with his sweater.

 

Judy replied softly, “Just try to think of anything that might be helpful, that might point us in a direction where we might find some answers before Zootopia finds itself with new troubles.”

 

Otterton sighed softly.  “I guess…  I mean, Nick wasn’t really there through the part of the trials I was the witness for, so I don’t know how much of that part he knows.”  This seemed to concern the otter a bit.

 

“I know all of it, Emmet, it’s fine.” Nick said calmly.

 

“All of it?” Emmet asked with uncertainty.

 

The fox chimed in.  “I was in the academy during that part of the trial, but Judy kept me up to speed.  Let’s make sure I understand though… You were approached by a couple of sheep who stated that they were interested in investing in a new super-safe low-toxin natural pesticide to reduce the cost of farming far and wide.  They had refinement ideas in place but were encountering trouble with the plant they were using because it broke down under the stress of the process they were using.”  As Nick stopped, Emmet picked up where he left off.

 

“Of course, the plant they were using was a completely pointless nightshade variety, no more effective to that end than the common rose.“  Judy smiled as Otterton got started.  Nick knew very well what he was doing.  He started with the otter’s passion.  It was all it took to get him talking.  He continued, crossing his legs as he sat on the counter, “… I should have known something was up even then, but I was a bit arrogant I guess.  I showed them the right plant… The one you already know.  Being a botanist I even knew how to refine the Nighthowlers the way they wanted them.  I damn near gave them everything they needed, but I didn’t realize what they were trying to make until I brought up that they were over-refining it, it would not be effective at those levels it would be hazardous to even touch, highly toxic on any plant they tried to put it on or near.”  Otterton sighed at that.

 

Judy put a hand on his shoulder.  “We’ve discussed this.  You had no way to really know.  Not really.”  He put his hand on hers and nodded as he spoke again.

 

“You kind of knew what happened after that.  When, instead of reducing their refinement process, they actually deepened it, I told them anyone who touched the stuff would go crazy, it would be disastrous.  They told me I was no longer needed.  Two of the guys who were helping them actually worked for the ZPD so I didn’t know how involved the police actually were.  I was afraid to go to the police but I was more afraid for my family.  I had to protect my wife… my kids.  I only knew one place I could go to protect them…”

 

“Mr. Big.”  Nick stated.

 

“I don’t want you thinking I am in deep with a guy like that, Nick,“ Otterton said earnestly, “I just…”

 

Nick laughed a little, “Trust me; you do not need to worry about saving face with me on that.  We all know what happened after that, of course.  You got beaned by a Nighthowler pellet in the car, but what we want to know is… Do you recall any other mammals than the two sheep you were able to name during the trial?  You had mentioned that a couple other mammals came and went, handled equipment, and got the lab set up where it was initially in the storage unit by the bay.  Do you remember any other animals?  Even just their species?”

 

Otterton thought a while on that, and then shrugged casually.  “I don’t know how much help just knowing their species will be, but yeah, I can name a couple.  I don’t know that they were deeply involved, since I only saw them a couple times when stuff had to get moved.  I am not really useful for the sake of moving equipment.” He laughed.  Nick and Judy both smiled and nodded.  The otter rubbed the back of his head and murmured, “There was a buck… A deer, he was a big guy with antlers that made him look like something from a fashion magazine.  There was a trash talking rude weasel, I think I still see him running around sometimes though so I don’t think he was involved for anything but bringing them the plants.  There was a small black wolf, he seemed mostly there to carry stuff, but I think he might have been closer to the big deer guy.  He seemed real shy around him, helpful, courteous, but he was a total ass to Woolter and Jesse.  I never got his name though.  Or the buck.  But again, I don’t know if they were only involved in renting them the equipment, I can’t say if they were involved in the Bellwether mess.” 

 

Nick asked, after a short pause, “Is there anything else you can think of?  Any little detail at all, no matter how inane?”

 

Otterton replied sadly.  “No, it’s been a while, and my head from back then is still pretty fuzzy, as you already know.  I don’t know much of anything that happened even the day I called Mr. Big.”

 

Judy put her hands on her hips as she considered something.  “Emmet, do you think the wolf might have been a jackal?  You sad he was pretty small.”  The otter thought a moment on that and then nodded.

 

“Yeah, that sounds possible.  He was lean and short for a wolf but I don’t know canine variations so well.  I grew up in a pretty water-laden side of the city and we didn’t get a lot of canine types who wanted to live there.  Certainly not those better suited to Sahara Square.  I saw him wearing something that looked like a private school uniform once or twice if that’s helpful.”

 

Nick responded, “Could it have been a bellhop’s uniform?”

 

“Maybe.  Again, it’s been a while and I don’t remember everything so clearly.  Sorry.”  The otter shrugged a little. 

 

Judy hugged Emmet again and shook her head.  “No, it’s okay, that information helps us way more than you think it does.  You may have saved some lives, Emmet.”  The otter beamed.  He had felt so guilty for all the trouble the Nighthowler thing had caused, so he was obviously eager to make some kind of effort to help.  New information taken in, the officers left Otterton Florists.

 

 

 

 

Judy obsessively straightened items on counters, made sure there was not a dish left in the dishwasher, everything she could think of.  She was still getting used to living in Nick’s apartment, and while he was a very tidy roommate, she felt as if her mother might judge him even the tiniest things given this was her first visit to his apartment.  She had not given Judy a reason to feel this way, she was not known for commenting on mammals' homes that she visited.  She had just gotten off the phone with her mother and knew they were a few minutes out.  They were running nearly twenty minutes behind but that was fortunate because it gave Judy more time to calm down from the initial hurricane of making sure everything looked right for their visit. 

 

A bit more pacing around and she heard her parents outside the door to Nick’s apartment.  She moved to the door and opened it before they could knock, as they had been pulling out a phone to double-check the address as Bonnie was mortified at the idea of knocking at the wrong door and disturbing some poor nocturnal soul.  

 

As Judy opened the door she cried out gleefully, “Heeeeey, it’s my parents!”  She grinned broadly and invited them in.  Stu and Bonnie entered and looked about briefly.

 

Her mother spoke finally.  “This is much nicer than where you were before.  And there’s a nice soup and salad place right at the end of the block.  Separate dining room and kitchen, big living room, I love the layout.”  Judy pushed her ears high, happy to hear a good appraisal by her mother.  It was only temporary but at least she saw that as an improvement.  “My, with the size of the dining room and living room you’d hardly believe this was a two bedroom apartment.”

 

Judy corrected cheerfully, “Oh it’s just a single, the two bedroom models on this side of town are almost criminally priced.”  Her parents’ ears shot up tall and Judy could almost hear the record scratch.  She winced a bit, realizing instantly her mistake. 

 

“This is just a one bedroom?”  Bonnie’s tone was skeptical.  “Where do you sleep?”

 

“On the couch.” Judy nodded to the comfy looking sofa.  It was certainly more comfortable to her than that hard mattress she was used to in the Pangolin Arms.  And it felt like she was being held when she was pressed tight to the back of it.  She had no complaints. 

 

Bonnie scoffed.  “Just… out in the open with no privacy even?”  Despite her mother’s apparent balking at the idea, Stu seemed utterly unfazed – which was curious to Judy.  Of her two parents he seemed like he had always been the more protective, and he was absolutely stoic, just looking around the apartment and smiling.  Judy figured he was just cheerful because they had gotten a new truck.  It was a big day for her dad.

 

“It’s fine, mom.  Nick’s a gentle-mammal and I sleep very comfortably there.  Besides, as mentioned before, this is temporary.”  Her mother looked down the hall at Nick’s bedroom door with that air of skepticism still.  She sighed and then smiled again.

 

“Well…  Okay.  As long as you are comfortable with it.  I think you are certainly safer here.  Closer to work as well.”  Judy sighed a bit, and then invited her parent to the dining room to sit down and chat over some coffee that she had lovingly prepared.  It was a long drive back and some coffee would help them with that.  They discussed the new vehicle, the various things going on back in Bunnyburrow, a carried along message of gratitude from Gideon since he had received a large order from New Reynard for an open house at the local primary school. 

 

Judy explained as best she could what was going on with her old apartment, and how she did not intend to wait for it or go back to it.  She explained the bus incident in a little more detail, and made mention that she was working another big case but that it was mostly about picking up the pieces at that point, but as more information came to light her parents were likely to hear more about it on the news.  She assured her worried father she was fine, that Nick would have her back and she’d have his. 

 

After about half an hour of milling about, her father was talking about crop rotations he intended to do, the purchase of a couple more acres on the west side of the property from a neighbor who was moving, and just the general sort of things that mattered to Stu Hopps.  As he spoke, Judy heard the sound of keys in the door.  She looked up, and her mom turned a bit as well.

 

Her mom spoke curiously, “Nick home already?  You said he was out with his friends… is it really that late?”  She went to check her phone.  He was an hour early, Judy knew.  She wondered why he was coming home.  He opened the door and strode in, talking to someone, head down.  She imagined that would be Finnick.  She hoped the little fox was not drunk.  He was known to say some pretty embarrassing things if he had some drink in him.

 

Judy’s eyes shot open wide.  It was Finnick, but something was up.  He was not the sandy tan little fennec she was used to; they had done something with his fur.  It was dyed… grey?  He was grey all over but his ears were tinted along the tips and rims in russet.  Why had they disguised the smaller fox?  Were they not allowed in the pool hall together or something?  Were they…  No, she shut that thought down, she was not going to ever accuse Nick of hustling again.  She lerned her lesson.  But then, what did-

 

His voice cut in as he put his bag down on the couch.  “Sweetie?” he called out.

 

Sweetie?  What the hell was he thinking?!

 

“Sorry I’m running late,” he continued, ”…little Fin was really good at the sitter’s so I let him ride the bouncy thing in front of the coffee house…  He’s really eager for some time with mommy though… oh…  Oh crap!”  Nick stopped talking as he locked eyes with Judy’s parents.  He backed up a little and Finnick came out from behind him, pacifier in mouth and little footie-pajamas covering most of his form.  He patpatpatted like a little toddler over to Judy and held his arms out to be picked up.  With the grey fur, huge ears, red tinting and fox features he looked like…

 

Oh no.

 

Oh god no.

 

Judy slowly turned to look at her parents who both had their hands cupped over their muzzles, looking utterly shocked.

 

“Nick…” Judy started, but didn’t even know the next thing to say.

 

“Oh my god, Judy, I thought they were here tomorrow!”  Nick sounded genuinely freaked out.  Judy looked back at her mom, who dropped to her knees and just scooped up the little fox.

 

“Judy, how could you hide this from us?!” she exclaimed.

 

“This?  This is why you didn’t come home for over a year?!” he dad added incredulously.  Judy’s insides felt like they were collapsing in on themselves as her parents both focused on cuddling the family’s apparently secret new addition.  She turned her head slowly to look at Nick who was smugly grinning at her, a heavy pewter coin being tumbled between his fingers so that she could read it as it glinted in the light.  GOT… YOU… GOT… YOU….

 

Bonnie squealed joyfully.  “He’s just… I love his… Oh look at these ears, look how little his nose… Oh Stu!”  They were both obsessing over the adult fennec cradled comfortably in her mother’s arms.  Judy put her hands over her muzzle, exhaling heavily into them.  The getting was happening and it was more terrible than she ever imagined.  They thought Finnick was … hers!  No, not just hers…  Hers and Nick’s!  This was beyond anything she could have fathomed Nick even doing!  They really thought the undersized fennec was a fox-bunny mix, like that would just happen without a ton of medical intervention!

 

“Mom… No, I…” Judy tried to figure out the nicest possible way to tell them that Nick was pranking her and using their emotions, their joy at seeing a grandchild to do it.  There was no possible scenario that played out without her partner being a complete monster for this.  She just stood, frozen as Finnick became completely focused on Bonnie’s wiggling nose, then Stu’s wide, chubby face, playing with his soft, padded cheeks.  Finnick must have done that elephant suit con a lot, he was damn good at it. 

 

Bonnie looked up at her daughter.  “Judy, did you think we would be angry?  Did you think we wouldn’t have loved him like he was our own?  You should know better!”  She handed the little fox to Stu who held him up high.  Finnick gave a bright, open-mouthed gasp, playing the cute card to a criminal degree.  “We aren’t mad, Judy, we just… Let him be part of the family!  He deserves that!  I think the rest of your family does too!”

 

“Ohhhohoh!” Stu laughed.  “You got daddy’s teeth, huh?  Gimme a growl!”  Finnick bared his teeth and Stu laughed harder.  Judy’s ears went flat.  She would have thought that the suggestion that she had a secret affair and child would have been the worst, but it felt like revealing the truth would be the worst now.

 

“Mom, he’s not my-“  Judy flailed a bit, trying to get her head around how little sense their reaction was making.

 

“Oh come on, Judy, look!”  Bonnie indicated the grey little fennec with red-tipped ears.

 

“Mom, that’s a full grown fennec, he's just a short!” Judy fairly shouted.  Her heart was hammering so hard.  Nick was not going to see another sunrise.  He was a dead fox.  This was a thermonuclear getting, it was completely uncalled for!  Her poor family was caught right in the blast!  This was not a reasonable revenge for her poor choice of words!

 

“Short?” Finnick suddenly said in his usual deep tone.  “Yeah, that’s gonna cost extra, Nick.”  Judy flailed a bit and indicated at the oddly deep-voiced conversational kit. 

 

Stu responded.  “I’ll give you half what Nick’s payin’ you to let me take pictures for the family album.”

 

“What?” Judy said flatly.

 

“Nick’s payin’ me 150 bucks fo’ this.” Finnick stated.  Judy’s ears went flat.  Oh no.

 

“Twenty dollars.  I will pay twenty dollars to let me take pictures.” Stu said hastily.  Finnick laughed.

 

Bonnie stated with some excitement, "I’ll put in another 20 if you play and act cute like you were a little bit ago.  Angela’s gonna just melt.”  Judy slapped her hands back over her muzzle.  They were in on it.  They were both in on it.  She looked at Nick who was poking away at his phone. 

 

“Don’t mind me, just sending pics to my mom.  She will know by your expression on this that the bunny has been gotten.”  Judy slowly approached Nick, hands out.  She didn’t care if she hurt her shoulder again in the process, her mom and dad would both be needed to pull her off of him.  Her advance toward the elsewise focused fox was interrupted by a knock at the door.  It was a loud, rapid knock.  It was followed immediately by another even louder.

 

“Uh oh.  I hope the laughing didn’t disturb the neighbors, the walls are usually pretty good about keeping noise in.” Nick said, moving over to the door.  He gave a motion for everyone to be quiet, and Stu handed Finnick back to Bonnie.

 

“Mom, put him down!” Judy hissed through clenched teeth.

 

“Do I have to?” she asked Finnick. 

 

He shook his head.  “Nope.”  Finnick looked almost as smug about that as Nick was about everything else.  Bonnie smiled and kept him right where she was.

 

“Oh my god.” Judy groaned.  Nick opened the door and a figure pushed in immediately.  The fox shouted a bit in surprise and Judy moved to the side, bracing herself for a fight.  Was it a home invasion?  A robbery?  Was it related to the case.  She then immediately recognized the individual who pushed his way in.

 

“What the heck?!” Judy’s mom cried, this time her surprise obviously genuine.  Jack Savage, out of breath, a sleeve missing from his perfect navy suit, stood with his back pressed against the closed door.  His eyes darted around and he spotted the only one in the room he’d met.

 

“Judy!  Oh thank God!  I’m being followed, you have to help me!”  Judy looked with a scowl at Nick, but he widened his eyes and held his hands up, shaking his head.  No, that was not part of the getting.  Judy’s face fell.  It was serious.

 

“What do you mean?  Who's following you?  Are they here?  Are they in the apartment building?” she asked.  A quiet evening with her mom and dad, was that too much to ask?  Could this whole scenario even get any more nuts? 

 

“I don’t… I don’t think so,” he panted, “I think I lost them in the subway.  I called the detective and he said he’d come get me from Wilde’s apartment, and to stay here.  I didn’t expect to see… you…”   His eyes locked on Finnick.  He looked at the tiny fox being held by Judy’s mom, then at Judy, then at the bigger fox.  “Oh.  Oh wow.”  Judy put her hands over her face. 

 

Why?  Why, why, why?


	18. Choices

**Guardian Blue: Season One**

Episode 18: Choices

 

 

 “Is that really Jack Savage?” Bonnie asked, shaking Judy out of her inner pleading.  Before Judy could answer that, the striped buck gave a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of his head, looking over to Nick, and then Judy’s mom.

 

Jack replied hastily, “Haha!  Yep, most certainly is!  I promise, I’m usually  abit better put together.  It’s been quite a night!”  He then looked down at his feet a split second, and back up, seemingly not directly at anyone else.

 

Judy narrowed her eyes, having been taught by Nick that the behavior meant he was hiding something.  She found that when she met Jack before he was nowhere near this twitchy. This put Judy into a deepening sense of unease that had little to do with how embarrassing the whole situation had been.

 

Jack spoke again quickly, “So, backup having been called, maybe Judy could take junior and her family there and we can just… head to the precinct together…  Somewhere else until backup actually gets here so everyone’s safe.”  Nick narrowed his eyes.  His next action shocked Judy more than the actor suddenly bursting into the apartment had.

 

Nick closed the distance between him and the buck in a second and picked up Jack and pinned him against the wall so hard that a picture off to their left fell, the frame breaking.  Stu and Bonnie both cried out in alarm and stepped closer together at this sudden show of aggression.

 

Judy cried out, “Nick!  What are you-“

 

The fox bared his teeth as he spoke an inch from Jack’s suddenly terrified face.  “How long?!”

 

“I don’t-“ Jack began.

 

“How long ‘till they get here?!” Nick asked loudly.  Judy glanced at her horrified parents.  Nick could lose his job for treating a civilian like that.  She moved to pull her partner off of the buck.

 

Jack remained pinned limply against the wall, not trying to struggle against the larger mammal.  “They’re already in the building!  Please, I didn’t even know there was a kit!” Jack cried.  Judy’s blood ran cold.  Nick wasn’t talking about the backup.  Jack was still being followed.

 

Judy stepped forward.  There was not much time, and she knew it.  They needed all of the truth in a hurry.  “Pawlander would not have given you this address, how did you find it?”

 

“Gllk!” he croaked out softly.

 

“Nick, ease up!” Judy requested sharply.  Jack relaxed a little, the fox obviously softening his grip. 

 

“Luck!” Jack coughed softly.  “I was in their car and saw your partner going into the apartment here, I thought he could help.  I jumped out faster than they could catch me.” He panted.  “When I saw your family I wanted to let them think help was coming so we could just leave, all together.  I didn’t think these guys would try and grab me if I was with a bunch of other mammals, right?  They’ll just leave!  I was gonna explain once we were in a car safely or something!”  Nick let Jack slide back down to his feet.  Jack adjusted his torn and sleeveless suit jacket again, obviously trying to look cool and composed now that he’d been released by the angry vulpine.  Judy’s parents both remained perfectly still, overwhelmed and obviously frightened.  Jack brushed himself off with a sullen expression and continued, “I’m sorry, alright?  I saw Nick and thought, ‘cop, safety, run there’.  I didn’t mean to get your whole family involved.” 

 

Judy took a deep breath, knowing that the panicked Savage would not be much help unless she could get him focused.  “Jack.  Who is following you?  What are they after?” she asked.

 

Nick looked over at Bonnie and Stu and said softly, “You take Fin and keep him quiet in the other room, if you would please.  Oh, and let him play with Daddy’s keys.  He loves that; it’ll keep him content for a good hour.”  He handed his keys to the small fox.  Judy looked back at her partner with a puzzled expression.  Why in the world was he still playing that awful joke?

 

Jack answered while she was pondering that.  “It was some deer and a wolf and a really mean bull.  I think they are the ones who put their crap in my luggage.  Apparently there was evidence that didn’t get picked up with the Nighthowlers.  They were going to take me back to my hotel and have me calmly walk them past my guards and get it.”

 

Judy sighed then spoke in a very hushed tone.  “Okay, that means that they will _not_ be letting you leave the apartments, it’s too important.  The wolf likely already has your scent and is heading for the door.  Mom, Dad, please listen to Nick.  Take Fin in the other room.”  Judy expected Finnick to protest this, as it made it seem he was useless, but instead he was absolutely enthralled with Nick’s keys, gasping and grinning and playing with them. 

 

Stu spoke finally, Bonnie seemingly almost in shock, clutching the smaller fox as if he really were an endangered child.  “Judy, p-please tell me they’re shooting a movie and you just haven’t let us in on it.” 

 

“Sorry Dad, this is the real deal.” Judy said.  Nick put his phone to his ear.

 

“Ray, that you?  Look, we have a 207A and we need help Code 3 – “ Judy looked away as Nick got help on the way, and motioned her family into the next room.

 

“Please, we’ve got this.  You’re safer in there.  Half the police force will be on top of us in minutes.  Just stay put, and stay _quiet_.”  Judy’s heart was racing.  She felt sick.  It all went so bad so quick.

 

Jack moved over to help Bonnie and Stu move over to the bedroom.  He spoke to Finnick in a soothing tone which seemed genuine but uncharacteristically sweet for the action star.  “It’ll be alright, Champ.  Mommy and Daddy just have something important to do.”  Judy sighed at that oddity and then wondered about something.  A deer.  Was it the same deer that Otterton had talked about?  Judy’s parents closed the door and she looked back at Nick as he hung up the phone.

 

Savage whispered softly.  “Now we be really quiet and wait?”

 

Nick stood by the door with his ears perked and alert, then, whispering, slowly backed up.  “Nope.  Now we remain calm, stall, and try not to die.”

 

The moment he said that, his apartment door was kicked open hard, the doorframe splintering level with the lock.  A bull and a wolf, as advertised, burst into the room.  Both had black lacquered sticks about two and a half feet in length.  They were the perfect sort for shattering bones and leaving a real mess behind.  The bull was dark grey, the wolf nearly black, and both wore black clothing.  Judy’s chest felt like lead as she held perfectly still so as not to attract unwanted angry attention from their guests.  Nick did the same, standing by the couch, unmoving.  Jack had fallen to a sitting position onto the couch itself, scrambling a little trying to get away from the pair.

 

The towering bull spoke first, head nearly to the ceiling.  “You gonna wish you ain’t involved other mammals in dis, pal.”  He stomped over toward Jack.  Nick held up a hand as if asking for a moment.  Judy whined in the back of her own throat.  This was not how to keep from getting killed.

 

He spoke with impressive smoothness given the situation.  “Had you knocked, I’d have opened the door you know.” 

 

The bull glared at Nick.  “We don’t need you, just dis actor guy, so, sorry about how yer day’s about t’ end.”

 

Jack spoke up at that.  “Leave them alone, they don’t know what’s going on, I’ll come with you, just leave them out of it.  They don’t even know me.”  Judy widened her eyes a little, uncertain if he was playing along to stall or if he was genuinely showing some self-sacrifice. She was not used to that from the wealthier sorts in the city.

 

“Sorry pal, you did this, not us.  We ain’t leavin’ this be.” The bull grumbled.

 

Judy’s partner interjected.  “I think I can come to a safer arrangement for everyone.” Nick said pleasantly.  The bull looked back at his wolf counterpart.

 

The wolf shook his head.  “They’re stalling.  He’s a fox, they’re shifty.”

 

Nick spoke up again insistently.  “Look, I’m just stating the truth, it’s gonna be hard for you to keep all of us in one place if stuff goes nuts here, and your boss needs just the one guy, so let’s talk and come to an agreement.”  The bull gave Nick a hard shove, sending him back into the couch so hard that it toppled backward, dumping him and Savage onto the floor behind it.

 

The bull yelled at the winded fox.  “You ain’t here to offer what Darmaw wants, we here to _take_ what Darmaw wants!”

 

“Name!” the wolf barked angrily at the bull.  Judy widened her eyes.  _Seriously?_   In _this_ situation, Nick was pumping them for information!

 

Nick coughed a bit, the ‘push’ to his chest having been very hard.  “You can tell Darmaw to shove his teensy little antlers up his cavernous butt!” Nick yelled back.  “My offer is officially off the table!” 

 

“He’ll be wearing your pelt on his antlers like velvet, fox!” yelled the bull.  He stomped toward Nick.  Judy began to move, not sure she could, in her condition, take both or even one of them on, but it was about to get violent and she wasn’t letting Nick go without a fight.  Suddenly, the door to the other room opened.  Her heart sank.  She told them to stay in there!  They were only making it worse!  But it wasn’t her dad or mom who came out.  It was Finnick. 

 

“No!” Nick cried in very believable grief.  The little fox toddled adorably across the room with a very old and worn-looking grey velvet rabbit in his arms, hugging it up to his small front.  Finnick having that made it even more believable that he was their kit.  Judy watched fearfully as the small Fennec padded into the room, looking sleepy as if the ruckus had merely awakened him.

 

The dark-toned wolf grinned and growled.  “And so goes the source of his bravado.  I _knew_ he was hidin’ something.”

 

The bull chuckled at that.  “Oh, fox.  Oh you weren’t afraid before, but you gonna be scared now.”  The bull walked toward the little mammal in footie pajamas.  Jack actually choked out a sob, seeing the child put into that kind of danger all because of him.  “Hey dare buddy, come on ovah, I’m not gonna hurts you, I’m Daddy’s ol pal.”  Finnick made that adorable happy gasping excited kid face again and walked awkwardly toward the huge bull who reached down toward Finnick.  The small fox dropped the floppy old bunny toy as one might expect if he were going to reach up to be picked up by his new friend.  However, behind the toy he was holding a black and yellow Class 4 Taser.  It was aimed the moment it came into view and Judy winced as it was fired directly into the bull’s large, meaty jaw.  He went down hard in front of the ‘toddler’, his weapon clattering to the floor.

 

The wolf cried out at the unbelievable turn of events and rushed the sudden threat, ready to end the fennec, child or not.  Judy moved toward them, but knew she’d not get there in time.  She did not have to.  Finnick already had the stick the bull had dropped in both his small hands and with surprising force and a loud crack brought it hard into the lupine’s knees.  The innocent child-like expression of wonder and happiness never left the con-mammal’s tiny muzzle.  The wolf stumbled forward, howling in pain as he slammed into a bookshelf, dumping all the contents violently onto the floor.  Nick leapt, grabbing the stick and pushing it back to pin the wolf.  The wolf fought back with unusual strength, throwing Nick across the room and into a corner table with a lamp, breaking both.  The wolf finally got up onto his feet, stick in hand.  He kicked Finnick hard and unceremoniously into the kitchen, causing a loud crash wherever the unfortunate little fox landed. He then advanced on Judy. 

 

Suddenly, the wolf jerked back, a green bit of Fluff visible at his chest.  He looked down.  There was a tranquilizer dart.  He just looked over to Judy’s father who was holding the fired weapon in his shaking hands, obviously shocked at how completely ineffective that was.  Judy knew immediately where her dad got the gun, however.  The keys.  The keys that Nick gave Finnick were to her partner’s locked up service weapons under his bed.  The problem was the wolf was obviously given the immunity serum.  Judy looked back to the wolf as he turned away from her, seeing Nick getting up as the greater threat, he brought the stick up as the fox got onto all fours to move. 

 

“Nick!” Judy cried.  There was a loud crack, but it was not from the wolf hitting Nick.  Judy looked back and saw Jack holding the stick Finnick had dropped.  He had swung it with all his might into the back of the wolf’s knees and down that wolf went, but before he was even fully down, Jack brought the weapon down in an arc to the wolf’s jaw, laying him out fully.  Judy rushed over, not to help fight the wolf but to prevent Jack from adding a genuine homicide to his list of life-accomplishments. 

 

Jack cried out, “No!  Your kit, he just-“

 

“He’s okay!” Nick said as he put handcuffs on the bull first.  Finnick toddled out of the kitchen with a paring knife in his hand at the ready.  Judy folded her ears back as she noticed he was still wearing the happy, curious marveling-at-the-world expression that he had while playing with Nick’s keys.  With the knife in his hands it looked so very wrong.  Jack kicked the downed wolf angrily.

 

“Hey, stop that!” Judy cried, her normal police procedure kicking in and telling her to keep control of the scene.

 

“Well excuse me for caring about the well-being of your… freakishly violent little kit!” Jack shouted back.

 

Nick spoke up.  “Fin, pretty sure Jack’s a victim here, we can relax.” 

 

Finnick pointed the small knife at Jack.  “You _better_ be a victim here, or you _will_ be a victim here, got it, _Champ_?” he stated in his unrealistically deep voice. 

 

Jack recoiled a bit and looked with horror at Nick and then Judy, pulling his striped ears back hard.  “What the hell is wrong with you mammals?!” he cried.  Nick laughed at that as he used the cord from the ruined lamp to bind the wolf’s paws before checking his injuries.  He was bleeding pretty profusely from a laceration Jack had put on the side of his face, but it wasn’t life-threatening.  Judy heard sirens. It felt like it had been forever, but it had probably been less than five minutes from beginning to end.

 

Judy went ridged as she felt an impact from behind, but the sobbing of her father softened her immediately.  She struggled to turn in his strong arms and hug him back comfortingly.  This, she thought, was likely to be the harder part of this than the actual fight. 

 

Stu inhaled deeply and coughed a bit, then said in a heaving voice, “That was the scariest thing I’ve ever seen in my huh-whole life!  Are you okay?  Is Nick okay?”  The bull groaned softly as he was starting to come to.  Nick moved over to him, picking up the stick and preparing to make adjustments to the suspect’s capacity for escape if he became fully alert.  Judy looked up to see her mom standing in the doorway of the bedroom, arms crossed in front of her, looking dazed.  It was Jack who went and comforted her.  Bonnie perked up at the chance to talk to the celebrity despite the frightening thing she’d witnessed at least a small part of.  They started talking about actresses who Jack had done scenes with and that side of the room suddenly felt pretty normal. 

 

Judy took some time to comfort her father and make sure he understood everyone was alright.  She stated again that she and Nick were trained to handle these kinds of situations but began to feel that she was over-using that.  Surely her father knew that wasn’t normal.  Finally, the thunder of many heavy feet announced the arrival of two officers followed immediately by four more, the scene secured in seconds after the arrival of larger mammals. 

 

Wolfard was one of the responding officers.  He gritted his teeth in alarm at the fact that half Nick’s apartment had been destroyed in the struggle.  The suspects were lead out of the apartments to an ambulance and yet more officers waiting outside.  Finnick helped himself to a beer from the fridge at the initial protest of two of the officers who misunderstood.  Dyed as he was, he was still, with great surprise, regarded as an impossible hybrid.  With Jack already there, however, it was perhaps a little less difficult for them to accept.  Judy was going to have a nightmare of a time explaining _that_ detail in the reports.  Her ‘getting’ would now have to be immortalized in legal history by this event.

 

With the scene safe, Stu called the family back at home on his phone to let them know they had been involved in an incident in Zootopia and would be staying the night as it was growing too late to drive home.  Judy felt it was just as likely that her father was too shaken to drive, but she didn’t say as much.  She hoped this would not cause her father to begin leaning on her again about a career change.

 

Nick called out to Wolfard as the suspects were led dazed and injured downstairs.  “Hey… We need to get extra units out to Savage’s hotel room.  The attempted kidnapping was because they feel like there’s more evidence.  We have to make sure that stays safe.  We might be sitting on another piece of the puzzle.  Also, I need you to call Detective Pawlander.  Let him know I’ve reason to be fairly certain that Darmaw is a deer, a buck.  That may help him narrow things down so we can stop this mess before it gets any worse.”  Nick winced a bit as a paramedic, a capybara, pulled a little sliver of glass out of his back.  Judy moved over to her partner, a little concerned, but there did not seem to be very much blood.  Very little of the broken lamp made it through Nick’s clothing, fortunately. 

 

“Yo, Nick.”  Finnick’s deep voice called out from the table where he was sitting on pillows in a chair, finishing a beer.  He was still, of course, grey with red highlights.  “You kin take off the extra I said you owed.  You still throw a helluva party.”  He laughed heavily at that.  Jack left Bonnie’s side as Stu finished with his phone call and Judy’s parents began talking excitedly about what happened, how crazy it had been, and how nuts it was that Savage was right there in the room with them, and about how completely outrageous it was that they came over for dinner with Judy and Stu ended up shooting a wolf.  They had been told very clearly that the investigation was sensitive so sharing this would not be open for discussion for a while, but they still had each other to talk to about it.

 

Walking over to Nick and Judy, Jack spoke in a calmer tone.  “So, Nick, I… This mess is really my fault, how much you figure it’ll be to get it all fixed and replaced.  I can have my assistant cut a check-“ he began.

 

Nick cut him off.  “Eight in the morning tomorrow.  Be here then.” Nick smiled.  Judy tilted her head curiously at her partner.

 

“Beg pardon?” Jack asked. 

 

“Oh it’s so easy to hurl a wad of cash in the wake of a big mess, but no, I want some extra hands getting it all cleaned up.”  Nick grinned smugly at the celebrity.  Judy’s eyes widened.  She would not have thought to ask Jack Savage to come clean the apartment, even if it was partly his fault that it was destroyed.

 

Jack took a step back, looking at the damage.  Bookshelf down, books and knick knacks everywhere, broken table, broken lamp, tipped over couch, cushions all over the place, plus whatever Finnick destroyed in the kitchen and blood all over the living room carpet.  “I… I am not sure I’d be much help…” he stated with apprehension.

 

Nick grinned wider.  “Oh, you’ll help plenty.  See, I’m gonna need building maintenance here in the morning to help get this stuff replaced, it came with the apartment, and they are not going to be happy, but it might make them happier if they had help from the responsible parties, right?”  The fox leaned in and gave a very toothy grin to Jack. 

 

The striped bunny sighed and nodded.  “Eight in the morning, gotcha,” he said sullenly.  Nick then wandered over and paid Finnick.  This got a very confused expression from Jack. 

 

The fennec laughed at the confused expression.  “What, you don’t think I do all this for free, do ya?” he laughed harder at the almost alarm-level confusion on Jack’s face at that.

 

Wolford’s voice cut in.  “Jack, detective Pawlander is here to take you back to the hotel.  He is pretty hot about you going out to dinner without an escort, just as a heads up.”  Jack audibly groaned, obviously not used to genuinely getting in trouble for something, but with what had happened his trouble was genuine.  Nick finished giving his statement to the officers, and Bonnie and Stu each gave a brief one too.  Judy provided hers in writing while others verbally gave theirs.  Nick particularly just enjoyed talking, she found. 

 

Judy was fast becoming aware of how tired the day had left her.  Fortunately, the officers did not stay around long after the information was provided, though Wolford stated that two would remain on property overnight.  While Jack was the one the thugs were after they did not want the chance of additional problems for the officers.  Wolford had offered to take Judy home and she declined but did not elaborate because she didn’t want everyone knowing she was staying with Nick. 

 

Finally, only Nick, Finnick, Judy and her parents remained.  Bonnie and Stu were still a bit rattled but had calmed down.  Finnick posed with Nick and Judy for the pictures that Bonnie and Stu really did pay him for.  Judy found it suspicious that Finnick did not seem any different after all of that.  _What kind of life had this tiny fox seen?_   The fennec then made use of the shower for a while as everyone else talked and had a snack.   Dinner had been pretty well cancelled.  The fennec eventually returned looking mostly normal, though his fur looked a little darker.  It would likely take a few showers to go completely back to his sandy tan color.  He thanked Nick again for a lovely evening and headed out.  Judy assumed he’d driven the van, but had not heard the noisy thing outside when Nick arrived so it was possible they had walked from wherever they had disguised Finnick.

 

Eating, having something to drink, talking, everyone calmed down over the course of perhaps an hour or so more.  Aside from the disaster in the living room one would hardly believe a life or death struggle had occurred there.  Most mammals were, Judy found, very resilient like that, and so long as those with some control of the situation didn’t panic, it was not hard to regain control and make things feel normal again.  Nick’s jovial humor and stories about funny incidents on the force helped a lot with that.  

 

As Nick enjoyed a beer himself, Judy’s father spoke in a tired voice.  “Well, I suppose your mom and I need to get to a hotel or something, Jude.  It’s getting late.”  The older buck stretched a bit.  “Plus, all the adrenalin’s wearing off and I feel just plum wiped out.”  Judy looked at her dad with a worried expression but Nick answered her own concern immediately.

 

“No, no… You two are welcome to stay here.  I’d prefer it actually.  I’ll put some fresh sheets on the bed.  I was welcome in your home so I won’t hear of you hitting unfamiliar streets after all that.  We have police outside the building just a shout away.  You’re safer here than anyplace else.”  Bonnie gave a concerned glance to her husband and then looked back at Nick.

 

She spoke warmly, “Oh, we appreciate that, but Judy said this is a single bedroom apartment, where would the two of you sleep?” she asked.

 

“The couch is big enough for us both.” Nick answered casually, picking it up with a grunt and putting cushions back on it.  Judy’s heart quickened.  Her parents would absolutely hate that idea.

 

Judy’s mom spoke again, a little more relaxed, and sounding a bit more exhausted.  “Okay, if you are both okay with that, I’d feel better being close by after a thing like that.” Stu nodded.  Judy stared at them.  _Seriously?  No one had any objection?_   Then again, Nick had just given them even more reason to trust him, so perhaps it should not have surprised her that much.  The fox went in and changed the bedding out.  He seemed to still feel that fox musk would have made an unpleasant night’s sleep for the bunnies, and then he brought a blanket in for the couch.  He got an extra pillow and get things set up.  It was nearly midnight when Stu and Bonnie both retired, their soft voices audible from the other room as they continued to talk to take the edge off the evening.  Nick pulled himself onto the couch and turned on the TV, letting the soft light from it push back the suddenly less comfortable darkness.

 

He grinned at the bunny.  “At least that didn’t get broken,” he chuckled.  Judy sat down on the couch, assuming it to be her selected side for the evening.

 

She inhaled deeply and said in a tired tone, “When does it end, Nick?  When do we not have to look over our shoulders?  This is twice now for the same case.  And right in our own apartment.”  Nick looked across the couch at Judy and frowned.  Judy gritted her teeth, having not meant to give away that she was upset by this and certainly not intending to seem to claim possession of Nick’s apartment, but it was her home, even if temporarily.  Was she not allowed to feel safe, even here with Nick?  It was not a happy revelation. 

 

Nick motioned to Judy for her to come over to his side of the couch.  She did so without thinking twice.  So what if there was a weird attachment?  She needed to feel safe.  That she had seen was true.  Bunnies needed to feel safe.  She hated feeling weak and powerless but she needed this for a moment, just for a little while. 

 

The fox answered her silent plea by pulling her up against his chest, and she leaned fully against him without hesitation.  It felt like being terribly cold, and suddenly immersed in warm water.  She sighed deeply, comforted to such a degree by his embrace that it was a little alarming.  Alarmed though she might have been, she did not pull away.

 

Nick spoke softly, “It’s alright, we have cops outside, and if Darmaw’s got any kind of brain he’s going to make himself as scarce as he possibly can after this mess and take a great big step back from whatever he and his cronies were doing,” the fox explained.  Judy pulled her legs in, making herself smaller against Nick’s front and he answered this by rolling slightly onto his side, curling behind her a bit and drawing his tail up.  This put it half-enshrouding the bunny which only enhanced the feeling of cover.  Nick pulled the blanket over them both with the pillowy plume of his tail insulating Judy from a seemingly vindictive world.  Judy put her head on the pillow. This one was Nick’s.  She could tell by the scent and considered again that she absolutely did not hate it. 

 

Judy closed her eyes as Nick continued to speak, his soft voice muffled a bit with her ears pinned back and pressed against his chest.  She could feel his heartbeat through them because of how tightly she was pulled against him to keep from falling forward off the couch.  His voice sounded a little hollow as a result.  “…with the new information Pawlander has, and other evidence already mounting, and maybe with even more evidence from Savage’s hotel room, I bet that they have an arrest of a suspect or two by Monday.  We might be able to put this whole thing behind us and another feather in our caps, Chief Bogo will certainly be-“

 

The bunny closed her eyes slowly with her head tilted down as she felt her own slow breathing in part because of the feel of each breath her partner took behind her.  His chest would push more firmly into her back, a gentle reminder of how close they were together, and then relax, draw away.  Judy could still hear him talking but somehow what he was saying stopped registering.  She was away from it all.  Everything that happened was somewhere else entirely; it wasn’t under the blanket wrapped in soft fluffy tail with that gentle wildflower scent. 

 

Judy consciously thought to herself, _I can’t be like this, he needs someone who is stronger.  I can’t fall asleep here, it’s gonna embarrass him, he won’t like that, he won’t be comfortable.  He knows I’m shaken up by this, why isn’t he teasing me for that?  I don’t want to get out from under this blanket.  I like how slow and steady he breathes…_   Those meandering thoughts shut out whatever Nick was saying, and then, muted by her slipping consciousness, Judy fell so easily into relaxed slumber, her final half-dreaming thought about the bunny that Finnick had walked out of Nick’s room with.  Maybe he wouldn’t have teased her about her collection of ‘friends’ after all.  In bliss she sank into protected sleep.


	19. Homeostasis

**Guardian Blue: Season One**

Episode 19: Homeostasis

 

This was a little different from the hammock.  In the hammock, she woke in full daylight to the gentle feel of rising and falling because she had rolled just slightly against the fox.  Now, as she woke, she felt completely enveloped.  The reason she had enjoyed sleeping on the couch was that it felt like she was not sleeping alone, it felt like someone was behind her and she could lean back against them.  She had not really wanted to admit to herself how comforting that was given how alone she could feel in the relative emptiness of her old apartment. With how loud her neighbors could be, sleeping against the wall was a terrible idea.  This time, as she woke, she found that she truly was not alone, and she knew even in her groggy waking mind why.

 

Nick had not moved to the other side of the couch.  He had not left her and slid to the other side himself.  He had not awakened her when she fell asleep against him.  Instead, he pulled her closer and fell asleep as well.  He was half curled around her, something like a comfy red letter C, and his tail looped around to bring that coil of fox closed completely around her so she felt surrounded on all sides.  She had drawn this tail up between her knees and to her front and had been, as she woke, hugging it like some kind of obscenely soft body pillow.  As she realized how completely wrapped up she was she found herself nearly paralyzed with a simple unwillingness to move.

 

She had convinced herself as she began to nod off that night that it was because she was distressed.  She needed security.  Losing the tiny bit of refuge the city offered was a hard hit to her normally stoic bravado and this was just something she needed until she calmed down.  As the grey morning light filtered in through the windows, she felt different.  She was not afraid, she was shamefully content and the realization of that poured in like light through the windows.

 

 _I should get up.  If he didn’t mean to fall asleep like this he’d be…_   She then threw that thought away completely.  He meant to.  He was talking to her when she fell asleep.  He had every opportunity to move her, tell her to move, reposition himself, or even just turn over so he was back to back with her.  No, he pulled her close.  Nick wasn’t just behind her he was holding her.  His arm was over her and hand was under her pillow which propped her head up a little more and pushed her back against his chest.  Judy took some time to consider the very vivid truth that she’d _never_ been held this close by anyone outside of blood relation, and certainly not as an adult.  And the bunny could not deny to herself that she enjoyed how this felt, even as she woke fully to consider it.

 

Judy closed her eyes.  She could doze like this a little longer.  There was an alarm on her phone, it would wake her.  She pushed back a tiny bit and she felt Nick’s arm tighten, and she put her hand over the top of his under the pillow.  His arm crossed over her chest so she was not going to accidentally roll off the couch or anything.  When he drew her closer she could feel his heartbeat against her back.  Her ears burned.  Okay, there was simply no denying it.  This was outright cuddling.  This… whatever it was… It was full of all kinds of trouble for work partners so she should definitely slip free and go make some coffee or something.

 

 Nick relaxed his hold and Judy went exactly nowhere.  She slipped her hand over the top of Nick’s again, giving it a small squeeze as she prepared to move it away so that she could leave, and his hand tightened a bit, holding hers.  It was considerably larger, that fox paw, and it seemed strong enough but she’d seen him far from strong before.  How long before she’d be held like this again, she wondered, even if it was a subconscious thing born of happenstance?

 

Another thought popped into her head with almost an audible thump.  Her parents.  When they woke up and opened the door of the bedroom after what was probably not a great night of very nervous sleep in an unfamiliar place that had been the scene of a violent crime, they would immediately get something else to have to worry about.  Nope, not worth the frantic questions from her mom once again!

 

Carefully Judy worked to extract herself from Nick.  His paw clutched at her shoulder and his tail curled tighter and she was trapped in the most comfortable snare imaginable.  Her entire body heated up from the inside and she sucked in a long, deep breath.  Okay, her enjoyment of that represented some kind of violation on her part, she just didn’t exactly know what.

 

“Nick?” Judy finally asked in just above a whisper.

 

“Nnnnhh…” The fox grumbled a little, not letting go.

 

“…Need the restroom.” Judy said, figuring that would be sufficient cause to release her.

 

“Mmnh… yeah yeah…” he mumbled in a little more wakeful tone, arm lifting finally.  Judy rolled off carefully, not wanting to upset her shoulder again.  She headed for the bathroom and tended to that, but lingered for a bit, trying to calm herself.  She sighed.  She was embarrassed a bit by the thought of her parents seeing that, but how should _she_ feel about that?  She certainly was not afraid of Nick, and she was not uncomfortable being held.  If she hadn’t thought about her mom she probably would not have bothered to get up at all. 

 

Judy cupped her muzzle as she looked at herself in the mirror.  Yeah, that was not a security attachment.  Her sister might have been right to point out that security had something to do with the origins, but not everything.  Judy paced in the bathroom a little.  Okay, it wasn’t like that kind of thing just never happened.  Feelings of trust and closeness and eventually… what this was.  She trusted Nick.  She enjoyed his company.  He made her feel better if he was around.  Why shouldn’t she like being held by him?  Bunnies like being held anyway.  This was just the mammal she trusted enough for that.  That wasn’t exactly wrong, was it?  He cared about her enough to hold her like that to comfort her, how did _he_ feel about her?  Was it just being protective?  How close did foxes get to a close friend?  She washed her hands, splashed a bit of water on her face, and then took a deep breath.

 

She was reading way, way too much into all of it, she thought.  She was fond of the fox.  She wasn’t going to pretend that wasn’t true now.  But demanding more than what he already gave seemed patently unfair and full of all kinds of trouble for both of them.  He gave so much any time she needed it.  Things didn’t have to change.  She would just… stay like she was.  Nick seemed happy enough, certainly.  It wasn’t like she was not enjoying him as they were, they didn’t have to add some kind of title to it, and she could enjoy him just like she was.  Judy smiled at that and nodded.  Nothing was wrong with that.  She enjoyed Nick.  He did not mind that she enjoyed him.  It was fine.  She intended to keep enjoying him as long as he liked.  _Everything was fine._ She left the bathroom and smiled at Nick who was drinking some water in the kitchen.  By how he threw his head back she could tell he’d swallowed a pill.

 

“A little sore?” Judy asked. 

 

Nick rolled his eyes.  “I feel like I was used as a wrecking ball.” He laughed.  Judy folded her ears back.

 

“I… uhhh… I didn’t mean to fall asleep like that.  So suddenly, I mean…” She stated, wanting to ensure he didn’t feel like he took advantage of her in keeping her close like that.  She was not upset to have been held.  She picked her phone up off the end table.  It was fully charged so she unplugged it. 

 

Her partner smiled at her sleepily.  “It’s alright; I was worried that you would not be able to sleep at all with what happened.  I mean… I don’t even have a door now.” He elaborated, gesturing to the somewhat awkwardly angled semi-barrier to the hallway outside.  “When you nodded off I figured that you felt better having someone close, so I stayed where I was.”  Judy nodded slowly at that.  Of course.  He _was_ protecting her.  He was helping her.  He’d shown the tendency toward protectiveness for the past week.  That’s all that was.  Nick spoke again.  “… I didn’t think I would find it so easy to sleep like that, though.  As soon as I curled up, I was just… done.”  He tipped his head back, finishing his water.  Judy widened her eyes a bit at his wording.  He actually slept well, so there went the last vestiges of her guilt.  She laughed at that sleepily and looked down at her phone.  She had a message.  She opened it.

 

It was from her mother.

 

It read, “Hey there!  We didn’t want to wake you or Nick, you both looked so… cozy.  We went down to the end of the block to get some coffee.  We will bring some back.”  Judy looked at the message in horror.  To get to the door her parents had to walk right by the couch.  They both saw it.  She stared at the message blankly.  There was nothing in the message about that but they had to have seen.

 

“Everything okay?” Nick asked.

 

Judy looked up ,a little startled as he stepped closer.  “Oh… Uh… no, it’s okay.  Well, kind of.  Mom left me a message saying they already went out for coffee.  They said they would bring some back.”  She turned off her phone’s screen. 

 

Nick flattened his ears and donned a concerned expression.  “That…  That does not help you with…”

 

Judy sighed softly.  “Not especially, no, but I’m starting to think we aren’t ever gonna convince her.” She said with a flourishing shrug.

 

“Not my mom either, not since someone told her they doctored my tail.” Nick stated flatly.  Judy winced.  She had not realized that conversation would make it back to her partner.  The fox shrugged again.  “Parents, huh?  They do want what’s best for us though, so we can’t fault them for that.” he laughed.  Judy looked up with heat in her ears again at Nick who had turned away.  He looked at the coffee pot and spoke again.  “Well, I guess maybe message them to tell them we’re awake so prompt coffee happening before Savage happens, because I don’t believe I can endure the latter without the prior.”

 

Judy took a slow, deep breath before speaking again.  “Does it embarrass you that my mom thinks that about you?” Judy finally asked.  She felt bad that it probably really bordered on the offensive, but she found that he’d been a very good sport about that.  Especially given that his mom seemed to think it too, just because they spent a lot of time around each other.  Nick looked up with a rather serious expression.

 

“Embarrass me?  Why would it?” he asked.  Judy stared blankly at Nick, her hands feeling suddenly too heavy.  Was that intended to sound supportive or dismissive?  She couldn’t tell.

 

Judy looked at her phone, messaging her mom and dad so they knew she and Nick were awake.  She spoke as she texted.  “I dunno, because I’m a bunny.  I mean, probably not the best look for a fox, huh?” she asked.

 

“Carrots…”  Nick sat back down on the couch.   “You can tell your mom we are friends and partners and that’s the truth, but I can tell she worries about you a ton, and hell, in her position I think my fur would all fall out thinking about what you must be doing at any given moment.”  Judy laughed at how astute her partner actually was.  He continued, “She can’t be there to protect you like she could when you were a kit, she wants to know you are safe, and I think she really wants to know you are happy.”  Judy gazed at her partner curiously.  It was as if he’d heard her conversation with her mom in the garden.  Had he really understood that intuitively, or had his own experience with his own mother made him a little more prone to painting Bonnie’s intentions in a positive light?

 

Judy sighed softly and said, “I know that, Nick.  I know she cares and she wants me to be happy, we talked about it last week at home, I just… It seems like that’s not really fair to you, you are just being as good a friend and partner as you possibly can and you are being saddled with… all that.”  Judy sat down on the couch as well.

 

Nick smiled, seeming sleepy still.  “Fluff, if you really are that worried about how our parents wishful thinking is making _me_ feel… Don’t.”  Judy glanced up as he continued.  “For her to think that there might be a ‘something’ going on, she’d have to think highly enough of me so as to assume I am attractive to you and that’s actually flattering!”  Judy smirked at her partner and pitched a throw-pillow at his head.  He laughed.  “I’m serious though.  Don’t worry about it.  I’m perfectly happy and regret no major decision made since I handed my application to Bogo.”

 

Judy looked down again and smiled, sighing again.  “Alright.  I worry about stuff like that.  I don’t like thinking I make life harder for you when you have done a ton this past week to make it easier for me.”

 

“How about you?” Nick asked rather suddenly.

 

“Huh?  Me?” Judy asked.

 

“You worry about how I must feel about it, I’m allowed to be concerned that you are completely miserable, what with at least half your family thinking you beat Sammie to the foxy life.” Nick shrugged.

 

Judy laughed at Nick’s choice of words.  “I guess I was mostly just worried that they were wearing on you, I hadn’t thought about it much at all myself,” she fibbed, “It doesn’t bother me I guess, I just wanted to make sure that their odd obsession and insistence on it wasn’t making you regret… things.” Judy offered with a chuckle.  Nick did not laugh.

 

He placed his warm hands on both her shoulders and spoke softly, “Judy, I’m not leaving.  Not ever.  Is that what you need to hear?” he asked.  It was suddenly serious enough that it made her heart skip a beat.  She looked into his eyes to see them trained hard on hers, emerald on amethyst.  His expression was pure and earnest.  She wanted to say something but suddenly found herself frozen.

 

“I know you won’t.” she finally murmured back.  They sat, their eyes locked on one another’s, close together on the couch for a quiet moment.  She nervously pondered telling him that she worried that her feelings of attachment were actually dancing awfully close to proving both their mothers right but she was spared the awkwardness of that conversation by a knock at the door.  Nick got up and opened it to find Judy’s parents on the other side.

 

Bonnie and Stu both had bags in their arms and Nick helped Bonnie get hers to the table.

 

“Okay, yes, coffee!  The true heroes of the hour arrive!” Nick chimed brightly.  Stu seemed to find that way funnier than Bonnie did. He had in his bags a few pastries and some buttery biscuits which seemed to really get Nick’s attention.  They enjoyed the breakfast with general chatter about plans for the day.  Bonnie wanted to stay until Jack arrived to get a picture of him for the family, despite the fact that she could not tell anyone _why_ he was in Judy and Nick’s apartment.  After getting things cleaned up Nick and Judy had the afternoon shift but both knew Judy was likely to be driving a desk, not a cruiser. 

 

After a few more minutes of eating and conversing during which Bonnie thankfully did not bring up at all how Judy had been sleeping, there was a soft knock at the door.  Nick got up again to answer it as Bonnie and Stu both cleaned the few dishes they had used for breakfast.  Jack stepped in wearing not his customary dark suit, but a black turtleneck sweater and jeans.

 

Bonnie addressed this immediately.  “There’s an outfit that you should be seen out and about in more often!”  Judy rolled her eyes, glad at least her mother and father had been together long enough that this kind of open-air flirting would not bother her dad.  Stu grinned at the actor who seemed immediately worried that it _had_ bothered him.  The slight moment of awkwardness passed, and Jack regarded the task at hand.

 

He spoke sullenly, making it plain he was not having fun coming out to do this.  “You probably can guess that I have my escort waiting outside so I will complete my given tasks quickly and as correctly as I can.  Direct me, oh clever one.”  He was referring of course to Nick.  It might have been taken as a slight if it were not for the fact that the unspoken plan between Nick and Finnick stood as the main reason that Jack was even standing there and not, say, in a warehouse tied up or something.

 

Nick nodded to him and smiled, making it apparent that he was happy that Jack was helping, and not being demeaning.  “If you could, just move the books that came off of what used to be a bookshelf and stack them all against the wall.  Your true purpose will become clear in a little bit.”  Judy was not entirely sure what Nick meant by that, but she figured it would not be too humiliating because despite being the reason those guys tore up Nick’s apartment, he was still being treated like a guest.  She marveled again that he did not seem to have any kind of celebrity status because of his link to the case they were working on.  He didn’t _feel_ that different from any other victim to her.

 

“Can I get a picture of us together, Mr. Savage?” Bonnie finally asked, holding up her phone.  Judy’s mother did seem a little more nervous about the actor.  The striped buck beamed a bit at that.  He was not known to be camera shy.  Judy and Nick both got into the picture, as did Stu.  Bonnie took a few pictures in the least damaged corner of the apartment, promising again not to share exactly why Jack was there, but informing him that it would only make it seem crazier.  After getting her pictures and offering Jack some of the snacks they had brought, Stu and Bonnie headed out.  This left Just the fox and two lapines to focus on cleaning. 

 

Judy was eager to make Nick’s apartment look right again.  Jack talked a bit about the fight, seeming pretty pumped up still.  Judy could not blame him.  He actually fought admirably, if a bit out of control and emotional, but the reason for his rage was redeemable, at least.  He thought a kit had been kicked into the other room, strange as that apparent hybrid must have seemed.  Then again, Jack was a hybrid himself.  Judy decided that, given what they had been through and the fact that she’d been attacked twice in the course of a couple of days over his case that it would be fine for her to ask a question or two about that.

 

She spoke up as he pulled another armload of books to the wall to stack neatly.  “So, Jack…”  She didn’t feel the need to call him Mr. Savage, “You seem to only have the markings of one of your parents, rabbit pretty much every other way.  Are rabbit genes really that dominant?” she asked, hoping it would not be that intrusive.  He sighed a bit, and leaned back against the wall.

 

“I can tell you I guess.  Not like you haven’t stuck your necks out for me.  I’m not a hybrid in the truest sense of the word.”  He explained. 

 

“Oh?” Nick asked, seeming genuinely curious, as all his reference books that the buck had been stacking clearly inferred.

 

Jack continued to explain, “I mean, yeah, there was modification of genetic markers and all.  That was pretty deep science.  It was a big deal, and they copied those specific markers from my mom.  However, if you ran a genetic test on me and my mother, you would not be able to link us.  My real mom was a bunny, but they did some genetic modifications.  The science just was not there yet to do a true splicing.  So my gift out of it was stripes and the need to actually cut my claws.”  He showed his were filed down blunt, but were much thicker than Judy’s.  ”It was a big step forward in the field, but it’s not the same as what the media makes it seem like.”  Judy looked at Nick, who seemed very intrigued.

 

Judy spoke up as she moved to try to help Nick pull the broken remains of the bookshelf into the hall.  “So… Why don’t you correct the media?  I mean, if it’s really not all that?” she asked.  Nick shooed her away, not letting her help move the heavy shelf.

 

Jack laughed softly at that and put some more books in a pile.  “My exotic nature is my bread and butter for one, but it also gives a sort of hope to mammals in interspecies relationships.  That’s not media hype, I really do care about that.”

 

Judy watched as Jack put more books alongside the wall.  He was almost done with that task.  “So, they really can’t make hybrids?” she asked.  She had, like most, thought it was possible with a load of cash and some determined scientists, but she could not remember reading anything other than studies suggesting it was possible.  She guessed, thinking at that moment, that if hybrids really were possible there would be more of them around.

 

“Well…”  Jack stretched a bit.  It was likely more about just being sleepy because it was early than tired from moving the seven or so stacks of books.  “It wasn’t when I was born, at least, but they’ve come a long way with the research.  The thing kind of preventing that question from really being answered at this point is that there is some question about the fairness to a hybrid child.  I had money to back my lifestyle, but someone with less pre-supplied support?  I think it would be pretty lonely.  And for the study that produced me to even be allowed they had to turn off the marker that handles reproduction… so yeah, no more striped bunnies from this source.” He laughed.  “Truth is they didn’t know how the marker would pass down to someone else and it might cause real problems without more research into how it all works together.  Not worth the suffering of some unfortunate bunny kit who gets stuck with a hyena sized head or something.”  Jack shrugged.  It didn’t seem to really bother him that much, but he was being very open.

 

Nick spoke over his shoulder as he put the the broken shelves as best he could back into the bookshelf.  “You invest money into the science though, why do that?” the fox asked.

 

“There’s another reason, actually.” Jack explained.  “See… common traits that other animals have, like night vision for foxes, or a wolf’s sense of smell… hybridizing some of those traits as gene therapy might allow doctors to correct blindness or other ailments.  Might let kits live normal lives.  Not to say I don’t support the idea of hybrid families, but I don’t do that publicly.” 

 

“Don’t do what publicly?” Judy asked.

 

“Well, the science stuff folks know I support, but I donate to a charity called ‘Diversity of Love’.  It’s a relationship counseling group mostly, but they also help with surrogacy.  That’s not uncommon.”  Judy looked at Nick, who nodded, showing that he understood.

 

Judy clarified anyway, making sure Jack knew she understood.  “So, they help multi-species partners have families by use of a surrogate parent for one of the partners.” She stated.

 

“Right!” Jack seemed happy it didn’t come across as odd to the other bunny.

 

“Don’t let my mom find out about that, geeze.” Judy groaned.  Nick laughed at that, getting the inside angle on the previous conversation.

 

“It has to be ultimately less expensive than making your fennec friend dress up like a kit to live out the fantasy.  You should look into it.” Jack said.  Judy looked at him with a horrified expression.

 

“That is _not_ what was going on!” she exclaimed.

 

Jack backpedaled a bit, flustered as he stammered, “But… I mean… He looked like…  He was acting like a… Nick _paid_ him for it!” He gesticulated at the fox.  Nick burst into a fresh fit of laughter that apparently was painful for his back, the fox groaning and arching, holding it.  Judy felt that the fox’s pain in that moment was entirely deserved.

 

“Nick was playing a prank on me and you walked in on the middle of it.” Judy explained with a hardened tone.  Jack looked to the fox who nodded at that, still laughing, holding his sides.  Even Judy had to admit that it was a pretty potent getting.

 

“So, wait… are you a thing or aren’t you?” asked Jack.

 

“No,” said Judy.

 

“Huh…” Jack stated, seeming actually confused.  Judy rolled her eyes, but before she could interject there was another knock at the door.

 

“That will be the other reason I wanted you here.” Nick stated, looking to Jack.  “Answer it.” 

 

The buck back-pedaled. “I have learned to be fearful of anyone in your company.” He explained.

 

“You’re a battle-hardened hero, Champ, answer the door.” Nick said.

 

“You are skilled at pushing buttons, fox.”  Jack’s tone was a little too negative for Judy’s taste, making her feel maybe he did have some prejudice, but he did wander over to the broken door, the only real structural damage and open it.  “Oh.  Hello there,” he stated.  Judy stepped to the side to look at who he was talking to.

 

There was a very stunned-looking white vixen standing in the door, just a little shorter than Nick with blue eyes and lovely white fur.  She looked sleek and angular and pretty, much like the red vulpine’s mother.  Judy felt a shock of something negative flutter through her.  Who was this?  Why was she visiting her … her partner…

 

“What the hell?” the lady fox stated bluntly, eyes widened.

 

“Sorry, good morning Skye.  This is Jack Savage, Jack, this is Skye Frost, and she’s our building superintendent.  She is responsible for keeping my happy little den livable.” 

 

The girl fox looked at Nick and folded her ears back, patting her hands on her tan coveralls.  “You went this far to keep me from charging for the damage to your apartment?  I don’t care if it was in the line of duty, someone’s paying for the door, your department, you, this painted rabbit, someone!”  She seemed genuinely irritated.  Judy suddenly wondered if Nick had caused her problems in the past.

 

“Hey, these are real stripes, I’m not painted!” scoffed Jack indignantly.  Judy recoiled a little.  He’d just shown the possibility that he was biased against foxes, this one getting on his bad side might be bad for Nick.

 

“Right.  This scruffy law-mammal is just chilling with celebrities in his broke-ass apartment,” growled Skye.  Judy stepped forward to interject.

 

Jack spoke instead.  “Hey, Nick’s a hero, he saved my life, lay off!” Jack exclaimed.

 

Skye spun on her heel.  “He’s a con, he’s paying for this door, go wash your face you look ridiculous, nothing like the real thing.”   Judy felt a flare of anger.  She was protective of her partner and hearing even another fox mistreat him pissed her off.  Jack stood up to her however, despite her greater size which kind of surprised Judy.

 

“Nothing like the real thing?  I’m the real deal, snowflake, and I don’t know what your problem is but this door ain’t the fox’s fault.  You want to charge someone, charge me.  My name’s on the check at least.” He smiled smugly.  Judy was surprised at the sudden charged angst in the room.  It changed so suddenly.  She looked at Nick who was standing with his arms crossed and a familiar look on his face.  He was getting someone.  That’s what the face told her.  Someone was the victim of a getting.  She had just not figured out who it was though.

 

Skye growled finally.  “Oh for crying out loud, here!”  She grabbed Jack, and Judy stepped forward to separate them before a fight broke out, but Nick stopped her.  Skye picked up Jack and put her tongue out and ground it all over the side of his face.  Judy watched in horror as his fur was soaked in fox-drool in the least civilized manner imaginable.  The buck was paralyzed from the suddenness of it and Nick continued to smirk. 

 

Skye then put Jack back down on his feet and began to grind her palm into his cheek, obviously using the drool to remove the markings from him, teeth bared in grinning determination.  She looked irritated for the first second, confused in the next second, worried in the next, and as her hand slowed to a caress, barely in contact in slow circles over Jack’s abused striped cheek the white vixen appeared absolutely horrified.  The buck looked calm and collected given what just happened to him.

 

Jack spoke softly, “I won’t count it as the best kiss, but certainly the most memorable.  Do I make the check for the door out to you, or to the name of the apartment?”  His tone was mellow and confident.  Judy found that she was cupping her muzzle in shock.  Nick was far too willing to let something bad happen to their VIP guest regardless of how unimpressed they were.

 

Skye looked like the purest illustration of regret.  She looked plaintively at Nick.  “You son of a –“  She looked back to Jack and gave a meek, pitiful hopeless grin, her inner ears and the bridge of her muzzle scarlet where the fur was thin enough to easily see it.

 

Nick spoke again.  “Skye’s a huge fan of your movies.  She’s even got a full-sized-“

 

“No charge for the door!” Skye shouted enough that Judy and Jack both jumped.  She laughed awkwardly and gave Nick a threatening glance.  Judy got the meaning right away, and understood everything in an instant.  Jack was supposed to smooth over the broken door because the one who does the repairs liked his movies but everything got messed up, as they often did in the company of that ex-con fox.  The buck seemed to understand the intent as well as he gave a smirk to Nick, shaking his head. 

 

Jack spoke in a soft, movie-seductive tone.  “Now then, I’m a romantic at heart.  I would hate to think I wasn’t doing this right but I learn quickly… so…”  He leaned in and just licked Skye from near the base of her ear at her jawline all the way up to her chin as she looked up, petrified by the unspeakable mistake she’d just made and the unthinkable thing that was happening to her.  She remained frozen.  Judy kept her hands cupped over her muzzle.  Had Nick planned that?  How could he have?  If he did, that was almost as bad as her own ‘getting’.  Fox wit was horrifying!  Jack looked back to Nick and nodded.  “Nothing else for me to help out with?” he asked.

 

“You helped _plenty_.” Nick said with a very honest tone.  “I don’t want you to keep your ride waiting, please…”  He indicated the door.  “And Jack, it was actually a lot of fun having you around, you throw an exciting party.  Don’t hesitate to visit again!” Nick laughed.  Jack looked at the slightly trembling vixen.

 

“With all the fun you bring to the party, how could I resist?” he asked with a laugh that sounded genuine.  With that, he walked out the door to rejoin Wolfard outside.

 

Nick looked back to Judy.  “He’s actually super fun when he lets himself relax a bit, I’m glad we invited him back.”  Nick was suddenly seized by Skye who put her hands around his neck and started shaking him violently, a move faster than Judy could compensate for.

 

She cried out loudly, “I’ll kill you!  I don’t care if you’re a cop now!”  Judy gritted her teeth hard tried to help her partner but he held a hand up to stop her, laughing even as he was pretty severely shaken by the white vixen.

 

As he was shaken, Nick grunted, “If I … die… then who will… Jack visit?”

 

Skye cried out, “I don’t care, he only plays characters I like, it… it’s not… Oh my God, you insufferable psychiatrist’s wet dream!  How do you _deal_ with this?!” Skye asked directly of Judy, the first time she’d even addressed the other bunny.

 

Judy answered bluntly, ears back, “The same way you do, it looks like.”

 

“It’s true.  Lots of strangling.” Nick grinned.  Skye dropped him backward onto his couch.

 

“I licked his face.  I just…”  Skye cupped her muzzle.  Judy felt for the vixen.  She just made _that_ first impression on a celebrity she was a fan of.  She could not blame Nick entirely though.  Skye could have handled that way better, and wasn’t off the hook for her negative treatment of Nick in the bunny’s eyes for sure.  Still, that one was likely to burn a while!

 

Nick chuckled with a positive-sounding tone, “He licked you back though!  How many get to say that?  I think he liked you!”  Skye squeaked in horror at that and pulled her ears back in her hands, eyes widened by the action, looking in horror at the fox who caused it all.  Judy rubbed her temples.  It had been a quiet apartment for a couple days at least, but she found herself suddenly missing Bucky and Pronk.


	20. Clues

 

**Guardian Blue: Season One**

Episode 20: Clues

 

 

 

 

“… I don’t care if a police officer is here to witness it, I’m gonna take you into the bathroom and drown you in the toilet, Wilde!” Skye fairly screamed.  Judy watched, not interfering as the red fox held his hands up innocently at her.  The bunny honestly could not blame poor Skye. 

 

Nick countered, “Hey, I didn’t say ‘try to violate this famous mammal in my apartment, Frosty, that was all your own adventure!”  He laughed a bit at that.  Skye did not seem to share the feeling of humor about her literally licking the acclaimed actor.

 

“Don’t call me Frosty!  What is it with you and dumb nick-names?”  She pulled a cart into the room and began rummaging through it.  Judy stepped a little closer, curious about all the odd things she had in it.  It seemed to be a cart filled with things to fix small hardware issues in an apartment.  Judy looked back and forth between her partner and this fox.  They seemed to know each other, but she found that she was oddly put at ease with the fact that they did not seem to get along.  Then again, Judy was finding that for a lot of folks, Nick was enjoyable in the smallest possible dose.  Except for her.  She seemed to be immune to it even though he didn’t seem to handle her that much differently.

 

Judy decided to introduce a little small talk to hopefully calm down the vixen who had just humiliated herself in front of Jack.  She spoke softly, leaning in closer.  “I take it you have been handling maintenance for this building a while?”

 

“About six years, unfortunately.  Mostly it’s fine, but every once in a while I get to deal with this smug-factory.”  She extended her middle claw briefly up for Nick and then took out a set of brass hinges and a drill.  Judy instinctively took a step back away from the angry vixen with power tools.  Skye set to work repairing the door on the floor in the middle of the entryway between the living room and the dining room.  Nick seemed unconcerned with her verbal daggers.  She stopped drilling a moment.  “What’s his nickname for you?” she asked.  Judy widened her eyes.  It would sound worse to someone who already didn’t like Nick.

 

Nick, however, did not hesitate to answer.  “Carrots.”

 

Skye looked up at Judy, eyes wide, ears back before glaring at Nick, and looking back over to Judy.  “I can nail his door shut, if you like,” Skye stated as she resumed drilling.  “You’re Judy, right?  His partner?  He told me all about you.  I still can’t believe you’ve never shot him.”

 

Judy flattened her ears back a bit, figuring that the limited exposure Skye had to her partner was mostly while he was in a joking mood and she didn’t know the real Nick.  The bunny decided to volunteer a little of that.  “We get along fine.  He’s got his quirks but he’s a good mammal.  He’s charitable, sticks up for the little guy, and he’s terrific at talking to mammals and getting control of a situation.  While he might be an odd tenant I assure you, he’s a fantastic cop.”  She crossed her arms.  Skye looked up at her, seeming shocked, as if she were a sweet old school teacher and Judy had just launched into a foul tirade of swearing and innuendo.

 

The white vixen rubbed he muzzle a bit and then looked at Nick.  “I can fix anything in your apartment but her.  That’s completely cracked.”  She nodded and began putting on the brass fittings for the door. 

 

“Hey!” Judy cried.  “I won’t say he hasn’t driven me crazy but-“

 

“…because then you’d be lying,” Skye completed, getting a chuckle out of Nick.

 

“- But!” resumed, Judy, “He’s not all that bad, is all.” 

 

Skye rolled her eyes.  “I’ll take your word for it, perhaps in the most professional sense, but you don’t have to live with him.”  Skye finished putting the second set of fittings on the door and began removing the old hinges from the frame of the broken door. 

 

“Actually…” Judy stated, noting with curiosity that Nick’s eyes went wide and he gritted his teeth.  “I do live with him.  We get along just fine.”  Skye looked shocked, glancing back and forth between the bunny and the vulpine.

 

She began to speak very slowly.  “Oh _really_ now…”  The vixen took on a grin that looked positively devilish.  Nick dropped his hands by his sides, ears folded back.  She stood up slowly and turned to look at Judy’s partner.  “So this fox who…”  She began to walk around in a slow circle around Nick.  “… This fox who caused _me_ to suffer the greatest humiliation I have endured since my school days… now stands before me knowingly guilty of subletting after having been warned of the consequences one time already, my oh _my_ …”  Judy’s blood ran cold.  She got Nick in trouble.  She had no idea she wasn’t allowed to be there.  Nick offered, why would he offer it if he couldn’t do it?

 

Judy put her hands up, standing between the two foxes as Nick looked definitively dejected.  “No no!  Look, it’s not like that!  Please, Nick’s helping me, my apartment’s been condemned, my family’s in Bunnyburrow, I had no other option, it’s just for a little while-“ she yammered rapidly.

 

Skye kept her evil grin, ears up confidently, teeth showing in her smile as she held up a hand to quiet the bunny.  “Oh, I am sure there’s reason but oh how I relish the thought that this smooth-talking smudge on fox-kind is finally under my claw.”  She held up a thumb.  “Oh I have been waiting for this…”

 

The bunny drummed her foot.  “Cohabitation can’t be that big a deal, not for just a short time!” Judy scoffed.

 

“This is a single bedroom apartment, ‘Carrots’,” Skye said in an official tone, “Unless you two are sleeping together, it’s against building code to sublet this apartment.”

 

“What makes you think we’re not?” Judy asked, deciding that since everyone _else_ thought it, it couldn’t hurt in this case.  The vixen’s eyes widened and Nick rolled his eyes and put a hand over the bridge of his muzzle, looking away.  The vixen looked highly skeptical, but then moved casually over to the bunny.

 

“A moment, Judy, no offense, I just...”  Skye leaned in, putting her nose close to Judy, about the level of her shoulder.  She then took two steps back quickly.  “Uh…”  Her muzzle and ears were scarlet.

 

Nick spoke up at last.  “No, Skye.  We both slept on the couch because her parents stayed the night.”  Judy drummed her foot again.  _A fine time to be fully honest, Nick_ , Judy thought.  “I appreciate the attempt, Fluff but arming her with gossip gives her two things to hold over me.”  His voice seemed lighter, not at all fearful as Judy might expect.  How could he be so calm in all of this?

 

Judy moved in front of Nick, feeling awful for bringing this on him.  “I can’t let me be the reason for this; he’s my friend, Skye.  I don’t know what he did before, but please don’t do this to him.” Judy pleaded.  It wasn’t fair, he was really trying to help, this vixen should have found his act of kindness redeeming.  What kind of mammal was she?

 

Nick spoke in a casual tone, eyes locked on the other fox.  “She’s not after revenge, Fluff.”  At this, the white vixen’s tail began to whip and flit side to side.

 

Judy looked back and forth between them and finally asked, “I don’t get it.”

 

“Redemption,” Skye said through her grin, teeth gritted.

 

“Vengeance usually has the least value.” Nick clarified.

 

Skye spoke in an airy-sounding tone what sounded like some kind of chant, “I see your trespass and let it be… but you’ll earn forgiveness earnestly… when vengeance is stowed, a favor is owed… to be paid twice its worth unto me.”  Judy widened her eyes at that.  More fox culture to be exposed to, and despite the implication of this she till found it enthralling.  However, Judy now knew why Nick wasn’t afraid when Skye learned the bunny was living there; he was just irritated because he knew he’d owe her a favor. 

 

“What do you want from me exactly, then?” Nick asked.

 

Skye leaned back, smoothing out her coveralls as she smirked.  “Another meeting with Jack.  This time somewhere nice and classy so I can make up for being a jerk to him.  Let him know I’m not a mental case like you.  As a bonus, I keep what you’re doing with the rabbit to myself as well.  A bargain, really.”

 

Judy sighed, “It’s not like that.”

 

Nick poked Judy’s shoulder.  “You’re the one who told her we were sleeping together.  You made that bed, Carrots; you get to lie in it… apparently not alone, of course.”  His sardonic grin made it apparent that he was not upset about it though.

 

Skye snapped her fingers to retrieve Nick’s attention.  “Can you make it happen or do I need to casually mention your new living arrangement to the manager?” she asked.

 

Nick sighed.  “It’s actually not as easy as all of that, Frost.  We aren’t friends with Jack; he was in part responsible for the condition of my apartment because of a police incident involving him.  The details are classified-“

 

Skye growled, “Of course they are.  Yet, you had no problem inviting me down here to humiliate me in front of him so it obviously was not such a secret then!” she snapped.  Her mood was souring.

 

Judy’s partner flattened his ears and crossed his arms defensively.  “Do you really think I had planned for you to react to him the way you did?!  His presence here was supposed to be a nice thing to surprise you and make up for you having to haul your cart down here first thing in the morning and fix my door!”

 

Skye moved up and put her nose right against Nick’s making him back up a little.  “Why would I believe it was even him, Wilde?  You’re a con!  A cheat!  A philanderer!  A weaver of tales great and meaning shallow!”  She poked her index claw to his chest with her teeth bared and Judy moved closer, fearing she may have to physically restrain her which she seriously did not want to do.  Skye continued, and her voice rose, “While I was sweating and swearing - trying to make an honest living, _you_ worked your proudly swishing tail off making honest foxes look bad!  You did that for years and years and I’m supposed to just accept that you get to be the very opposite of that and no one even remembers what you were?  I’m supposed to _pretend_ someone like you isn’t just playing a new part in a deeper con?  Does _she_ know what you were?”  Nick sat down with a thump on the couch, having been backed up to it by the angry white vixen.  This time he looked genuinely surprised and, for a change, speechless.

 

Judy spoke suddenly with a firm tone.  “I know _exactly_ what he was.  I was that con-mammal’s final victim.”  Her wording, she knew, probably stung Nick a little but she wanted to be blunt.  She was through listening to Skye wring out her partner as if the changes he made were easy and didn’t matter.  Skye turned, seeming a little surprised at the smaller female’s determined voice and arguably aggressive stance.  Judy stepped closer, bristling.  “Yeah, he was a cheat.  He lived up to every anti-fox stereotype you mentioned, but let me ask you something, Skye…”  She pushed in closer, making Skye actually back up from Nick.  “What do you _want_ him to be?”

 

“Wh-what?” Skye murmured her response, seeming immediately confused.  “I don’t-“

 

Judy continued, her teeth gritted, bared in fact - at the vixen, “You see him working hard now to help this city and I have seen him put his very life on the line to do so, but you don’t _want_ him to be that because you _need_ him to be a con.  Long ago he was shaped by a whole city who _wanted_ him to be less than them so they could feel like they were _more._ Can’t you at least _try_ to believe that Nick wanted to be more than that?!”  Judy had raised her voice and stepped forward again, making Skye back up again.  She looked shocked, then suddenly a bit sullen.  She turned away.

 

Nick spoke from behind the rabbit, his voice serious, “Judy…”

 

Skye spoke again, this time her voice just sounded tired.  “No, Wilde, she’s right.  I’m not being fair.  It’s good if you are really… trying to leave the old you behind.  I… I really was trying to tear you down.  It looked like you got off easy but I guess it’s really not.”  The vixen turned around, her expression pleading.  “But you get a second chance Nick.  I want a second chance too.  It’s not the same level, I know it’s shallow, it’s about image, but I want my second chance.”  She folded her arms over her chest and looked away, seeming ashamed.

 

Judy murmured in a soft tone, “I can’t make a promise, Skye…” Judy approached the sad-looking fox, “But I can try.  And he owes me a favor.  I nearly got slashed to pieces by a knife-wielding jackal for him.  I think I can set something up for you and have Nick give you the details.  You are right.  You deserve that second chance.”  Skye brightened up suddenly as Judy mentioned she might be owed a favor, then put her ears back, eyes wide at why.

 

“Someone tried to _stab_ you?!” she asked incredulously.

 

“Comes with the job.” Nick offered with a shrug.  “It’s okay, I shot him.”  Skye backed up again, her expression making it clear that the full reality of what Nick actually was had really just been accepted.  She then moved over to Nick.

 

She spoke with a measured tone.  “Okay… I’m not saying clean slate, Wilde…  But I will forgive what you were if this is really what you intend to do with the rest of your life.”  She gave a flourish at that.  “But I am gonna promise you one thing here and now.”  She pointed at Judy.  “… If you ever hurt that bunny, I will _destroy_ you.”  With that, she pivoted on her heel and walked out rather dramatically.

 

Judy watched the empty hall a moment and then sighed.  She felt a little better about how that had gone.  She had been so worried that Nick was actually in trouble and then so angry that the other fox hated him for something he was trying to separate himself from.  It was so unjust.  She looked up at her stunned-looking partner and said, “I think maybe she just… thought none of it was even real, huh?  Do you think maybe she might thaw a little?  She seems nice aside from having a bit of a chip on her shoulder.”

 

Nick spoke with his shocked expression remaining.  “Carrots, I hadn’t even thought to address that she became the representation of the very bias that she fought in the face of until you pointed it out, and I’ll bet that hit her hard.  You really messed her up, Fluff.”  Judy recoiled a bit.  She had been blunt but the situation was so clear to her in that emotionally heated moment.  She was sure she hadn’t really hurt Skye by saying it.  Not a strong and willful vixen like that.

 

Judy laughed a bit and shook her head.  “I don’t think she’s messed up, she seemed pretty resolute when she left.”

 

“Where did she go, Carrots?” Nick asked.

 

“I don’t know?  Her apartment?  Why does that matter?” Judy asked.

 

Nick pointed at the cart and the door still laying in front of the dining room, new fittings gleaming.  “We can’t go to work until we have a door, Judy.  I say you messed her up.  And I don’t have the nerve to call her… so…”

 

Judy cupped her hands over her muzzle and then darted out the door.  “Wait, Skye!  Hold on!”  She almost collided with the fox as she got off the elevator, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.  She grinned at Judy meekly.

 

“Forgot your door.  I’ll just, uh... yeah…” she shuffled past.  Judy sighed softly.  It was a far more eventful morning than she had expected, but at least it did not leave off tense.  She walked back to help with the door if she could.

 

 

 

 

Wolfard spoke in a hushed tone, Detective Pawlander sitting across from him at the table.  “Inside a day-planner that we thought was Jack’s initially we found rather extensive notes about two different items.”  Nick and Judy sat at the end of the conference room table, hands similarly clasped in front of them.  They had just arrived at the precinct and been pulled into a meeting.  Judy had hoped to get back to patrolling, but this would have to take precedence.  Wolfard resumed.  “We found that the first item, the anti-tranq serum, has to be kept cold… ice cold until the point that it’s ingested.  Our jackal friend who attacked Judy had let it warm a little while he was preparing to leave the hotel, it seems, and that’s why Wilde was able to stop him.”  That sent a chill through Judy.

 

“So… The dart did work?” she asked.

 

“It was working.” Pawlander said.  “He dodged a lot but after interviewing him extensively, we think the suspect intended to resume running after injuring Hopps, but he could not stand up after he got shot.  And while he was going to injure Hopps anyway he was slowed down, so Wilde got to him first.”  That did not make Judy feel better at all.  She had comforted herself a little in assuming that the jackal had just been using the knife to get Nick to shoot him as a field test, not that he actually was going to use it.  She went kind of quiet.

 

Nick was less somber.  “I feel my regret for kicking him in the head fading… fading… annnnnd it’s gone.” Nick said, waving a hand in the air like smoke rising from the table.

 

Bogo entered the room as Nick put on his little display of waning regret and put his glasses on.  The fox gritted his teeth at that, putting a hand over his chest.  Bogo spoke in his heaviest of tones, “The other item we found detail of was even more troubling.”  The chief remained standing.

 

“Nighthowler Serum.” Judy stated coldly.  It was the only thing she could think of that was more serious.

 

Bogo regarded her a moment and then sighed.  “Based on the notes, somehow they have the real deal.  We originally thought this was something they intended to use against a rival gang, but the notes included details about Jack Savage in particular.  His role in this as a victim was not over; they intended to do something at an event that he was to be involved in, as best we can tell from the notes.”  Bogo leaned his back against the wall, crossing his arms.  “While our arrested suspects are not saying much, we feel that the perpetrators thought Jack was taking the chests in question to the airport _after_ the event, meaning that the Nighthowler attack would happen and when Savage’s belongings were searched he’d be immediately implicated.”

 

Wolfard spoke after the chief.  “While the whole city was tied in a knot over what Savage having the Nighthowlers actually meant, any possible evidence of Darmaw’s involvement, or that of the Alabaster Paw would be concealed, contaminated, or lost.  But Jack sent the chests to the airport ahead of him because of his tight schedule, and he never made it to the event because he was taken to the precinct instead.  Our due diligence probably saved lives.”

 

Bogo put his head up with some visible pride at that.  “We have captured a few of those involved in the conspiracy, and now even have information on the identity of the elusive Darmaw, thanks to quick thinking on the part of our first fox officer.”  He gave a nod to Nick who sat up straighter as well.  Praise of that caliber from Bogo was rare.

 

The fox spoke up.  “Chief, do we suspect that the immediate danger from this is passing with some of the conspirators in jail and Darmaw perhaps in hiding?  Or do you think there might still be an attack?” he asked.

 

Bogo nodded slowly.  “The chance is good, Wilde, that the prior is the case, and we did seize equipment from the jackal we have in custody that might have been needed in the attack, including a dart rifle modified to fire pellets similar to what was found after the first attacks.  However, we are remaining on alert, and at least one officer in each unit is to be outfitted with a stun gun.  Both of the assailants at Wilde’s apartment had the anti-tranq toxin but it’s been proven that the electrical route is still effective.  This limits us a little because a smaller suspect would be more likely killed if this was used.  Smaller subjects might pose less of a physical threat normally but if they are armed, I have given authorization to use that force as deemed necessary.  I pray it’s not deemed necessary but I don’t want _that_ hope to be punctuated by an officer’s funeral.  To be on the safe side, Savage has cancelled all events with his direct involvement for the next couple of weeks while we investigate further and try to mitigate the threat to him or his fans.” 

 

Judy sat up taller and raised a paw.  “Sir, does that mean that Savage’s calendar is clear?  He still can’t leave Zootopia during the investigation, right?”  Nick widened his eyes and stared at his partner.

 

Bogo took his glasses off to look at Judy with a silently stunned expression which confused the rabbit a little.  He then expressed why.  “I would advise against personal involvement with a victim of a crime that _you_ are investigating,” he stated evenly.

 

Judy’s eyes shot wide open and she shook her head enough that her ears flapped about a bit.  “Oh no no no!” she laughed.  “Nothing like that.  He just… won’t need a police escort and can move about freely is all, right?”  The chief seemed a little skeptical but nodded. 

 

“That is correct.  He’s not a suspect in the case, but we have given him temporary license to carry a class four Taser.  He will be armed and has a panic beacon that he can wear around his neck.  We do not think that these guys would be so desperate as to go after him again, but we want to be safe.  There will be a small event in City Center Park, Trunkapalooza, same as every year, put on by Jumbaux’s Ice Cream.  Since that’s right in front of the police station we will be keeping an eye on that, but all other events through the city will also have additional police presence.”  Judy nodded at that as well and looked to her partner.

 

Nick spoke as she glanced at him.  “So, what are our orders in this aftermath?”  Judy enjoyed for a moment that Nick was all business in front of the chief and not joking around as much.  There was a very serious undercurrent involved and she felt the buffalo might be seriously offended if the fox made light of it.

 

“If you’re feeling fit for duty, Wilde, given that you were injured last night, I would like you both to resume patrol duty in Sahara Square, look for anyone wearing the Alabaster Paw logo but do not approach them.  I want to have a detailed hands-off accounting as to where they may be operating in the city.  Based on Swift’s questioning I do not believe the ground-level members have anything to do with the wider conspiracy but we should at least get a better idea of their influence.  The officers at this morning’s shift meeting were given similar instructions but given the notes that we found, we no longer feel as concerned that they have ears on the inside.  It seems to have genuinely been a coincidence that things got rolling right after we picked up Swift.” 

 

With that, the small meeting was dismissed and Judy and Nick headed to the garage to pick up the vehicle.  Judy convinced Nick to let her drive again, as her shoulder was doing better and she enjoyed being the one behind the wheel.  Reluctantly Nick agreed after watching the bunny rotate her shoulder and arm a bit to make sure she had full range of motion.  It was still a little sore and tight, but it was usable.  As they headed toward the intended district of the city for their patrol, Judy called Wolfard on her phone via the cruiser’s built in phone link.

 

He answered quickly and Judy responded, “Wolfard!  I wanted to know if you had a way to contact Savage directly, I had another question for him.”  There was a pause on the line that told Judy that the canine on the other end wasn’t buying it.

 

“If you want I can ask him for you, I have to check in with him later.” Wolfard said casually, his tone making it seem obvious he was trying to bait Judy into telling him more.

 

“I’m not asking him out if that’s what you’re honestly thinking!” Judy snapped.

 

“I had not suspected it in the least.  I‘d actually assumed you were already spoken for,” he laughed.

 

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” Judy barked into the phone.

 

“Alright, alright, I’ll give you his number.  Just… Don’t cause trouble, okay?  I…  I’m not even sure why I asked that, I know you two.  I just know.  Just leave me out of it.”  Judy and Nick both laughed.  Wolfard provided Judy with the contact info and Judy immediately called it.  The phone rang considerably longer than it had for Wolfard but a familiar voice finally answered.

 

“Hello?” came Jack’s voice.

 

“Hey Jack!” Judy chimed brightly.

 

“Oh no.”  His response sounded deeply regretful.  “Not you.  Please.  I just want to go back to my boring life of _pretend_ violence and fifteen largely unnecessary takes to get a kissing scene right.”  Nick had to stifle his laugh but Judy felt a little bad.  Was her life really so chaotic that a busy actor like Jack Savage had trouble dealing with it?  Maybe her mom was right, she should calm down just a little.  Later though.

 

She talked as she exited the highway and headed into the warmer and usually bone-dry Sahara Square.  “The fox you met this morning…” she started.

 

“The crazy one who packed fifth-date stuff into her initial greeting, yes I remember,” he offered.  Judy gritted her teeth with concern.  That was not a great setup for this conversation.

 

Judy tried anyway.  “She feels terrible about how that went.  She really did think that my partner was pranking her.  He does stuff like that.”  She glared at Nick a bit, making it clear he was at fault for this debacle.  He grinned and shrugged.

 

“Yes, the fennec thing, I remember,” Jack stated on his end.  “I felt kind of bad about my response to that too, after I thought about why she did it.  I thought to myself, ‘of course she’s crazy, she’s been around those two.’  I mean, I was kidnapped, roughed up, and nearly beat a wolf to death once you entered my life, I can’t imagine what it must be like for her!  Tell her I’m fine and I forgive her.  I can send a card if you want.  It can be one of those expensive velvet ones so she can lick it and reminisce.”

 

“Don’t be a jerk, Savage!” Judy snapped.  “She was mortified by that and I’m cashing in a favor.”  She decided that being a little forceful worked with Skye it was worth a try here.  She wasn’t going to be asking for anything unpleasant.

 

Jack laughed on his end.  “Am I to understand after being forced to come and clean up your partner’s apartment I still owe you a favor?”

 

“I nearly died getting your stuff back.” Judy stated.

 

“Your job.  You were doing your job.  I already paid you for that when I paid my taxes back in April.”  Judy folded her ears back.  Derailed.  Her entire plan was derailed.

 

“Come on, please help with this, it’s really upset her.” Judy said pleadingly.  Force was out, begging was in.

 

Jack sighed heavily.  “What do you _want_ me to do, a pity date?  You don’t have to be a psychologist to guess how emotionally destructive that ultimately ends up being.”  His slight accent made it seem even more thoughtful.  Judy took her turn to sigh.

 

“Alright, Jack, you got me, I guess.  She’s upset and I haven’t a clue how to fix it.  Do you have a better suggestion than just letting her see you and apologize for it?”  Judy asked.

 

“Nope, not at all, but I can meet you half way on this, but only because I was kind of a creep to her for licking her back.  It’s _not_ because of anything I feel like I owe you two.  Tell her I will be at the park this afternoon, four o’clock.  If she wants to meet up, have a snack and chat in a public locale, that’s when and where.  Tell her not to dress flashy.  I’m trying to be inconspicuous for obvious reasons, okay?” he asked.  Judy bounced a bit in her seat as she came to a red light. 

 

“I will tell her.  Thanks Jack, this means a lot to me.”  She grinned at Nick, who shrugged.  He didn’t seem to share her enthusiasm for what this would mean to the other fox.

 

“I am doing this for a fan, obviously.  I am also doing this because while I might not have enjoyed meeting the two of you given the circumstances, I know better now the danger you face and I have a deeper respect for what you do.  Keep the city safe, I’ll keep the traumatized fans happy.”  He hung up the phone.  Judy leaned back, grinning to Nick, drumming her little fingers on the steering wheel.

 

“Well, it’s not what she hoped for, I bet, just meeting up in the park, not very romantic, but I doubt she will mind,” Judy stated with relief.

 

Nick smiled back.  “It’s enough I think.  Better than I thought it was going to be.  I think we’ve worn out our welcome on Jack Savage.”

 

Judy laughed back as they keyed in their start location on the computer and began their patrol.  “Yeah, I doubt we’ll be seeing that bunny again any time soon!” she laughed.


	21. Dessert

 

**Guardian Blue: Season One**

Episode 21: Dessert

 

 

 

 

Patrol had gone fairly quietly.  They had two accident reports to take, a shoplifting report that turned out to be a misplaced box in the back room, and a fight between a brother and sister that resulted in an arrest of both for attacking one another right in front of the police.  As the siblings were camels additional officers were sent just because they would not have both fit in Nick and Judy’s cruiser.  That done, as the later afternoon sun really heated up the streets the pair ducked away into a soup and salad place that was a favorite in this part of the city.  Nick enjoyed creamy soups and Judy had a dozen different tasty and unique salads to choose from there.  The dark interior and soft, meditation-style music of the place also made it a favorite spot to go to if the day had been stressful, and in some ways it had.

 

Judy had awakened beside her partner and realized that she might be more emotionally dependent on him than was ideal for her to be, given their differences and the fact that they were work partners.  She then had to endure knowing both her parents now were given only more fuel to burn to keep warm the notion that it was even deeper than _that._ Then the visit with Jack exploding with Nick’s building superintendent added a very rich icing on a complicated cake.  About that time at least Skye would be getting a chance to have a normal conversation with her perhaps unnecessarily revered actor.  It was at least some good to come of the confusing day.

 

Judy was shaken from her train of thought by Nick’s calm voice.  “You’ve hardly touched your salad, Carrots.  Still thinking about the knife incident?  That stuff usually doesn’t get to you so much.”  She sat up a little bit and put some black-bean salad into her mouth as if just responding to the prompt, like she had somehow messed up the eating of her lunch and was trying to correct it. 

 

She swallowed after a bit and spoke in a hushed tone, always wary about disturbing the meals of others in a restaurant.  “No, just digesting the day as I eat my meal.  Been a long one, honestly.  I’m gonna be real easy to keep track of at the end of our shift, I promise you.  I’ll be the unmoving little ball of fluff resting wherever I fall.”  She chuckled at that.

 

“If you’d be more comfortable on the bed with another door between you and outside I would be fine with that.” Nick explained.

 

Judy took another smaller bite and answered.  “No, I’m okay now.  It was just the initial act and not having a working door at all.  I will have no trouble falling asleep tonight.”  She followed this up by eating more salad.  There was an awkward silence for a bit before Nick spoke up again.

 

“Your sister followed me on Furbook.  I commented on the Munch match video and I guess she looked up my online name that way.”

 

“Verdant-Eye-Sly is probably not the most low-key name, really.  Which sister, I have a bunch of ‘em.” Judy was happy for some casual small talk as she enjoyed her meal.  Nick did that frequently if she seemed tired.

 

Nick replied, “Sammie.  She didn’t say anything, just followed me.  Did you ever figure out what she did with the pillow?”  Judy looked up at Nick with her ears back, expression incredulous.

 

“Nick I don’t really have to tell you that do I?” she asked.

 

“I suppose you do.” Nick looked innocent, and only more curious.

 

Judy smirked and sighed a bit.  “Okay, so… I’m pretty sure my sister has a thing for you.  I think she wanted the pillow because it smelled like you.  Please don’t make me explain what that would be for.”  Nick pulled back a little, seeming a little surprised.

 

“You think?  I don’t think she liked me very much, honestly.  She went ice cold when she found out about the tax thing.  I mean… her body language went right out the window.” Nick explained.

 

“No, I think she did that because she thought I was with you and she didn’t want to get in between us, Nick.” Judy poked at her salad a bit as she said that.  Why couldn’t she just have a regular, uneventful friendship?

 

“Well, she never said anything to me on Furbook, so if she’s crushin’ she’s being _way_ too elusive.”  He chuckled at that.  Judy smirked harder at her partner.

 

She leaned in after taking her final bite of salad.  “Should I try to play match-maker, help the two star-struck sweethearts find one another in the darkness?” Judy teased.

 

“Err… Sammie’s sweet, but no thanks.”  Nick rubbed the back of his ears with his claws to show a bit of discomfort.  Judy put her chin on her hands.

 

“Aww, just cause she’s a soft, cuddowy bunny?” Judy said with a bit of intentionally abrasive baby-talk.  She laughed at the idea that the mere suggestion made him squirm when he acted so nonchalant about it when her family suggested he might be dating her pretty openly. 

 

“No, being a bunny doesn’t disqualify her; she’s a perfectly nice bunny.  It’s just… I’m super picky, I prefer my bunnies more predatory and sly.” Nick stated as he finished off a small bowl of fruit salad he had as a side to his already missing soup.  Judy looked up blankly.

 

“What?” she asked, suddenly a little disoriented.  The police radio went off.

 

“Baker 914, what’s your 20?”  Nick picked up his radio to respond.

 

Nick gave their location as he wiped his muzzle with a napkin.  Judy looked up at her partner and silently cursed that interruption of the conversation.

 

Clawhauser’s voice rang through the radio, “We have a report of Adam Paul by four in the vicinity of the Double C-P.  One requests 10-21 for observation.”  Nick nodded at that, glancing over to Judy.  The report meant that there were four known members of the Alabaster Paw seen in the vicinity of City Center Park.  ‘One’ referred to Chief Bogo, who was requesting that Nick and Judy swing by there, outside of their normal patrol area, to check it out.  This meant that the officers patrolling that area were elsewise tied up dealing with something. 

 

“They normally don’t run around together.” Judy pointed out, but Nick got up suddenly, almost knocking his drink over.  It startled Judy.  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

 

He huffed out, “City Center Park.  That’s where…”

 

“Jack and Skye!” Judy jumped up too.  She ran over to the counter and dropped two twenties, leaving an unusually large tip but they had to move.  The partners were out the door and in their cruiser in a second.  They were rolling silent but were not rolling slow.  Judy gunned the engine as they headed for the highway.  Nick called on his cell to get in contact with Clawhauser, telling him to be ready to have other nearby units on standby, informing him that there may be a threat to a VIP known to be in the park.  Clawhauser had two other units change channels and put them on standby, already en route to the park.   

 

“Surely they are not dumb enough to try that again in a well-lit public place?” Nick growled.  Judy took an off-ramp a little earlier than usual, meaning to come in from the back of the park, suspecting that if they had grabbed Jack again they would more likely exit that way.  They did not encounter anything suspicious as they pulled up to the two long thin parking lots that flanked the east side of the park.  Both got out of the car and moved into the park.  Nick had his Taser on his hip, a little bulky for a fox, and Judy was still armed with her tranq gun.  Neither had weapons drawn.  There were likely children here and until a threat was obvious they did not want to cause concern. 

 

Judy and Nick walked together under the long shadows cast by the late afternoon trees.  The park was not small, and they were not sure where Jack would be, or if they were even still at the park at all.  The fox and bunny covered a pretty big swath of the park, but they didn’t see either Nick’s superintendent or the actor anywhere.  They finally took a post at a fairly middle-ground location in the park that gave them a good view all around, as best they could with the trees and a few booths used for vendors and the like.  It was a simple picnic table among a bunch of others in the middle of the park.

 

“I guess they already left.” Judy said with a sigh.  She hoped that was it, and it was not more a case that something happened to them, but she, like Nick, could not believe they’d have tried something in a place like this.  There were families and kids everywhere, playing, running, throwing Frisbees and the like.  The calls would be immediate and the police department was literally across the street from this park location. 

 

“You don’t suppose Jack stood her up, do you?” Nick asked, dread obvious in his voice.  That would be a dark day for both foxes.

 

“Surely not.  He is notoriously level with his fans.” Judy explained.  They sat quietly a while, ruminating on that as the park continued to be just that.  A park.  It was peaceful and Judy thought she’d have enjoyed being here if they were not so concerned about everything that had been going on.  While the immediate danger they faced had passed they were still tracking mammals from the same group that had attacked Nick’s apartment.

 

Nick leaned back a bit, watching around.  “I don’t see any sign of the Adam Pauls either.  I should probably call in to Clawhauser and let him know to stand down the other patrols.  If they were here they aren’t now.  We’ve had full visual in the time we’ve been here.” 

 

“And yet you still missed us!” came a bright and cheery voice from behind, making Nick and Judy both jump.  Skye and Jack stood behind them.  Skye was in jeans and a body-hugging low-cut navy t-shirt and Jack was in the same jeans and black shirt from before.  They had food in their hands.  They both sat at the table with Nick and Judy.

 

“Don’t sneak up on us, we were here on duty!” Nick complained.

 

“On duty trying to find out what we were up to?” Skye asked shrewdly, “I should complain about police harassment.”  She put her food down, a simple tuna-salad sandwich from the look of it, with chopped celery and mayo and black pepper.  Judy twitched a bit, reminded of her own tuna mistake a few days earlier.

 

“No, we were observing as required by our boss, this patrol is legitimate.” Nick said with an official tone.

 

“Who’s Adam Paul?” asked Jack.  Judy rolled her eyes.  Of course the other rabbit heard that.  It was confidential police business so they really could not explain it to a civilian, espially with the investigation still ongoing.

 

Nick was on point with an alternative explanation though.  “It’s police code, Jack, it means Active Perp.  Some shady folks are nabbing things that aren’t theirs, of course.  We use code like that in case folks have police scanners.  How did you guys find us if we didn’t see you?” asked the fox.

 

Jack answered with a grin.  “Oh!  That’s actually pretty cool!  We were getting food in line over there.”  He nodded to a booth.  It was surrounded by elephants.  They were there setting up for Trunkapalooza.  Judy nodded at that.  Of course they could not see the smaller mammals in that group.  “We saw you and decided to find out what you were up to, since it was awwwfully suspicious given that you were the only other ones who knew we were here.”  He crossed his arms.

 

“Crap, I forgot the drinks at the booth.” Skye grumbled.  “I’ll be right back, don’t eat my stuff.”  She said in a teasing tone to Jack.  He laughed as she bolted off to get their drinks. 

 

Nick regarded Jack a moment and then spoke.  “You two seem to be having a nice afternoon.  I apologize for our patrol overlapping and interrupting it.  We will be moving again shortly.”  Jack took a bite of what was apparently some kind of veggie burrito.

 

“We are, actually.  I’m glad I let you tal me into this.  She’s all about fun.  We’ve joined in some Frisbee, we did the rock climb thing at the north end, harnesses and all, and she’s mellow about the whole fan thing.  Treats me like a buddy.  It’s refreshing.”  He then paused and looked up at the smug fox, “… and I will thank you for not reading weird things into that.  It’s just been a fun meeting.  So thanks for that.  And Judy it’s nice seeing you out of that sling and not the victim of some terrible prank.”  He nodded to the other bunny.

 

Judy rolled her eyes.  “I earned that one actually, so don’t feel too sorry for me.”  She laughed.  “He’d never have survived that if I hadn’t earned it.”  Jack laughed at Judy’s clarification and shook his head.

 

“I’m tempted to have my writers work on a series about a couple of cops who spend their shifts pranking each other.  That would sell the hell out of some ad revenue!” he slapped his thigh, laughing. 

 

Nick grinned with heavier smugness at that and then replied in a smooth voice, “Well, to be realistic, only one officer would be successful in their pranks.”  He flicked one of Judy’s ears.

 

Judy took a playful swipe at her partner, missing by a fair distance.  “Hey!  I’ve gotten you just fine.  I just don’t have the kit-ish drive to do it to death!”  Judy felt suddenly light-hearted and happy.  This was much better.  It wasn’t tense, they were on the job, and things felt back to normal. 

 

Nick grinned broadly, “Oh-ho, I hustled you the day I met you and you’ve _never_ gotten reprisal, so there’s that.”

 

“What, the popsicle?  You think I can’t get that cash back out of you?” Judy put a hand on her hip, ears back as she smirked back at him.  Jack looked back and forth between them, appearing pretty entertained.

 

Nick answered with a flourish, “You are fleet of foot but less of wit.  It would take a lot of both to make _me_ pay, Carrots.”  Jack recoiled a little and seemed a bit shocked at the nickname, but he didn’t have time to say anything about it as Judy deadpanned then picked up Skye’s tuna salad sandwich.  Nick widened his eyes, confused.  “What are you-“ he started to ask.  Judy took a huge bite of the sandwich and then placed it back on the table.

 

“Holy-“ Jack murmured, stunned.  Nick’s eyes were as wide as they would go.  His ears pinned back as Judy chewed quickly and forced down the truthfully unwanted bite.  She already knew it wasn’t gonna kill her, and it was worth it for what she knew was coming.  Besides, with the mayo and celery and pepper the taste of the tuna was almost indistinguishable.  She was about to see who was not so fleet of wit.

 

“Judy why did you…”  Nick was then distracted from his personal shock by another fox’s arrival.  He looked in horror at Skye, then her sandwich with the almost too-big-for-a-bunny bite taken out of it. 

 

Skye spoke quickly, a little breathlessly.  “Sorry about that, they had to pour new ones, someone walked off with our-“  Skye looked down at the table.  Judy innocently played with her phone, glancing over with expressionless mirth at her partner’s doomed face.  Nick predictably looked shocked and horrified and, as a result, guilty.  Skye narrowed her blue eyes.  “Oh hell no,” the vixen growled.  She gestured to Nick.  “Why?!  I was gone like… a minute!  What… But… What?!”

 

Nick stood up quickly as Skye put the drinks down to free up her fists.  The red fox pointed hastily to the grey doe who looked up innocently from her phone.  Skye narrowed her eyes and stepped closer to Nick, baring her teeth as she slowly got closer.  Nick whined loudly.  “It wasn’t me!” he said with conviction useless to a known con-artist.

 

“Are you serious?  The bunny?  Ate my tuna sandwich?”  She pointed at Judy.

 

“Smell her breath if you don’t believe me!” Nick exclaimed anxiously.

 

“Fell for sniffing before, I will let you two keep some secrets, thank you very much!”  Judy furrowed her brow.  What was _that_ supposed to mean.  She looked over at Jack who could blow this wide open and he looked transfixed at the vixen who seemed about to pummel Nick.  Judy’s partner closed his eyes and sighed resolutely.  He thrust a hand into his back pocket, took out his wallet, and handed a crisp 20 to the vixen.  She eyed it suspiciously and then crushed it in her hand. 

 

“It can’t be worth more than that!” Judy watched Nick step back again.  She wondered if maybe she went too far.  It was so spur of the moment. 

 

Skye sighed and nodded to the sandwich.  “Go on, finish the sandwich, but then you are gonna go over there and get me another one, Wilde.  I can’t believe you,” the vixen sighed, shaking her head.  Nick audibly whined as he looked at the sandwich with a huge bite missing from it.  Judy frowned.  Her partner just ate, he probably wasn’t hungry.

 

“I’ll pass.” Nick stated in a meek tone.

 

“Eat the sandwich.” Skye growled.  “You are not gonna just waste it.”

 

“I don’t eat fish.” Nick said bluntly, looking very unhappy.  Judy widened her eyes.  She forgot, he had said that when they were in Bunnyburrow.  She couldn’t let Skye force him to eat the sandwich.  She bunny looked uneasily between a horrified looking Nick and a furious Skye.  Yeah, Nick was right.  She hadn’t thought the prank through well enough.  She’d have to get him later.  For now…

 

“It’s okay, Nick.  You’re off the hook.”  Judy picked up the sandwich and while she didn’t really _want_ to, she took another large bite.  Skye watched incredulously.  She watched with quietly stunned curiosity as the doe swallowed the bite down.

 

Skye finally managed some words.  “Whuh?  But why?  Really?  Jack, did she…?”  The vixen flailed a bit.  Jack, eyes wide, nodded also.  “Why didn’t you say something?”

 

Jack answered hastily.  “What, and cross the scary carnivorous bunny?  Nope.  Not over a sandwich.”  Skye looked at Judy plaintively.

 

“Why?” the vixen asked again.

 

Jack answered instead.  “Seems she and Nick were in disagreement as to whether Judy could get the money out of Nick that he cost her the first time he… how did he say… hustled her?  Wilde was kinda rubbin’ her nose in it and... well…  That’s her response.”  Jack took a sip of his soda and another bite of his food.

 

Skye looked blankly at Jack through his explanation, then looked at an apologetic-looking Judy.  “Wait… You ate my tuna sandwich to knock Wilde’s smug down?”

 

Judy nodded slowly at that and said, “I’ll go get you another.  I’m sorry, Skye.”  Skye stood there quietly a moment, looking at Nick and Judy, expressionless.  She then chuckled.  Then she chuckled louder.  Then she drew some stares from others in the park as her knees nearly buckled and she wailed with laughter.  Judy laughed a little self-consciously, looking around and then at Jack who was laughing as well, though not as boisterously. 

 

The vixen finally got herself under control and handed Judy the cash Nick had given her and she picked up her sandwich, taking a bite, apparently not minding eating after the bunny.

 

Judy still intended to replace her purloined sandwich.  “I will be right back!” the doe said, getting up to go to the booth.

 

“No, no, it’s fine, don’t.  You keep that.  You earned it!” Skye laughed, taking another bite of her sandwich.  Jack was still laughing and Nick still looked stunned and horrified, ears back, hands down.

 

He finally spoke.  “My god.  I just got hustled.  I never saw it coming.”  The red fox put a hand over the top of his muzzle, seeming to reflect on that in stunned silence a bit.  Judy looked around the park nervously as Skye started to laugh all over again, almost choking on her food, and she spotted something out of the corner of her eye.  A wiry goat running through the park ran right over a sheep picnic with a mother and three lambs and snatched a radio that they were listening to.

 

Judy cried out loudly, startling everyone.  “Nick!  Theft!  Tan goat, 9 o’clock!”  She immediately jumped up and bolted.  Nick was right behind her as evidenced by the sound of his claws hitting the sidewalk, but she heard the more distant footfalls of Jack and Skye who were following for some reason too.  They were civilians, they shouldn’t do that, but Judy was more focused on the cloven feet tapping pavement less speedily than she was running.  He was making for the edge of the park to the cluster of shops.  If he went into one of the stores he might be able to elude her and escape.

 

“Judy, sweeping 9!”  Nick’s call meant that he would pass her on the left to flank their suspect.  It occurred to Judy again that this was a pack-hunting technique.  It was even taught that way at the academy.  Nick passed her as she intentionally slowed a little for the maneuver, and the goat was driven toward an alleyway, away from the doors of a shop so as to prevent him from darting inside.  Nick outran him as his fatigued and untrained legs slowed, and he stopped to try to take another direction just before the alley which he discovered would have been a dead-end, but a bunny colliding deliberately and forcefully sent him hard to the pavement inside the alleyway itself, skidding to a halt in front of one of the rows of large trash bins.  He cried out as Judy quickly put cuffs on him.  The radio he had was still playing where it lay a few more feet in front of him.  As Judy looked up from the radio to the end of the alley, she spotted four mammals jumping over a wooden fence at the end.  Four mammals had been the report for the suspicious activity they were there to observe.  Nick arrived and helped Judy get the goat to his feet as he resisted only slightly.  He was caught and he knew it but he didn’t have to be happy about it.

 

“Scuffed up a little, but in one piece.  This one’s lucky,” the fox stated.

 

“That bunny’s crazy!” the goat bleated.

 

Judy used her radio and called in for a suspect pick up.

 

“He’ll fit in our cruiser.” Nick informed helpfully.

 

Judy shook her head.  “I know, but we aren’t done investigating here, our times four just left.” She said in a hushed tone.  As Nick nodded, eyes wider in understanding, Skye and Jack both arrived, both quite out of breath.

 

“Okay… so you two are fit, got it.” Jack puffed.  “Short legs… No excuse.  Work out more.  On the list.”

 

“You’re a civilian.  You can’t join in a chase.” Judy scolded.

 

“Hey is that-“ started the goat.

 

“Right to remain silent…” Nick began his Miranda, cutting him off. 

 

“I just ran ‘cause everyone else ran.  Had to chase.  Felt natural.  Oh man…”  Skye leaned forward, panting heavily as Nick calmly read the suspect his rights and informed him that his charge would be theft but that the chase was short enough that he’d be spared the eluding charge.  Judy knew that was more a poke at the panting pair who did not likely share in the opinion that it was a short chase, but she grinned, not minding that.  While neither were really out of shape, running did not appear to be their thing.

 

As Jack caught his breath a little he said, “Hey… would it be alright if Skye and I took the radio back to the family it got nicked from?”  Judy looked with uncertainty at Nick.

 

“I think that’s alright, we have to wait for Fangmeyer to get here, so that’ll get them taken care of faster.  Judy witnessed it so we don’t need a written statement, just their names for the record.  Could you get that?” he asked, handing Skye a little notebook and his pen.  She seemed suddenly revitalized.

 

“Sure, we could do that!”  She beamed a bit and picked up the radio off the ground, now playing a very upbeat and appropriate tune as it was taken back to its rightful owners.  The alternate bunny and fox duo left Judy and Nick in the alley with the goat.  The goat exercised his right to remain silent as he seemed to feel awful for getting caught stealing in front of a celebrity. 

 

Judy spoke in a hushed tone, “The Chief will flip when he sees in the report that we let civilians handle reclaimed stolen property.”

 

“Fangmeyer’s pulling up.” Nick said, helping the goat out of the alley.  “And it was to get them out of the alley so we can investigate.  They don’t need to know what we were observing.”  Nick was sparing on the details as he spoke but Judy understood.  Nick didn’t want Jack to realize that the Alabaster Paw was in the area, it would only unnecessarily rattle him and make him think he was being followed by the police when he really wasn’t.  Nick explained as briefly as he could to the tiger officer why they needed pick up and why they were staying and let Fangmeyer take their suspect to the precinct. 

 

“Do you think they were just hanging out in the alley or were they running from us?” Nick asked as they looked around, behind some crates, in an overturned box, just trying to find anything that might have been ditched by the panicked subjects.  They had no way to really know that they were even Alabaster Paw other than the fact that they ran.

 

Judy answered as she looked in one of the trash cans, finding it empty.  “I don’t know…  For all we know it could have just been some kids smoking, I just know there were four and they went over the fence as we came into the alley.  So we might have just spooked them, but I wanted to at least be sure.”  Judy looked in another trash can.

 

“This one’s empty.” Nick said, looking in another, making his way toward the back of the alley.

 

“This one too.” Judy replied. “Shops get evening pickup to keep trash-pickers from hanging out after dark.”  As she looked in another, Jack and Skye returned.  Judy looked up curiously.  She had honestly figured they would take longer to enjoy the act of giving back the stolen property.  It hadn’t been that long.  Nick had just opened a tall recycle bin almost bigger than he was and turned and grinned at the returning pair.

 

“Were you able to return the radio?” he asked, likely knowing they would not already be back if they hadn’t.

 

“Yep!” jack said brightly.  “I used a few pages from your notebook for autographs, I hope you don’t mind.  They were pretty stoked to have a familiar face bring it back.”  He seemed very encouraged by that, which made Judy feel better as she worried that the whole fiasco could have led to a complaint.  Instead, the striped lapine and lady fox seemed to have really enjoyed the diversion.  Jack looked back and forth between Nick and Judy.  “What are you looking for?  Do you think he stashed something else?”  As they were a little behind in the chase they had not seen how far the goat got into the alley so it was a fair question.

 

“Yeah, but we think it’s clean.  Thanks for taking the radio back.  That was a more pleasant experience for the family, I agree.  They will see it as a positive experience and not a negative one because of you two.”  Nick wiped his paws on his trousers as Skye crossed her arms and leaned against the wall at the edge of the alley, having cooled down and caught her breath it seemed.

 

“I have to admit, I had reservations, Wilde, but you and Judy are an awesome team.  You’ve got just the right setup.  Good catch.  I get why you never shut up about her.”  She grinned.  Nick looked suddenly less smug.  Judy’s eyes widened a bit.  Nick talked about her a lot?  Her heart felt light, and her ears blazed as she perked them high.  Really?

 

Jack grinned and walked up to Nick.  “Wow, and here I was thinking I totally misunderstood the whole deal!”  Judy looked back to Skye to see if she’d volunteer more of an explanation.  What had Nick said?  Won’t shut up about her meant he said a lot.  Had he complained?  It didn’t sound like it.  Jack continued to talk as he gave Nick a tap to the shoulder.  “I can’t deny that bunnies are sublime but as a fox I think you should know, that is _not_ a standard bunny doe.”  Judy rolled her eyes, knowing immediately what Jack meant, and that he was teasing.  It was not really an insult.  She was not the rounded, sweet, motherly sort that society expected her to be.  Skye squeaked out in surprise however and Judy turned to find that Nick had perhaps considered it more of an attack on his partner.  He had Jack upside down over the huge recycle bin, ready to pitch him in.  Jack’s hands were outstretched, clamped on the edges, resisting being forced in. 

 

“Wilde!  Put him down!” Skye yelped, darting over to aid the other rabbit.

 

“Ice cream!  Ice cream!  No no no!” cried the striped lapine, still holding the edges tightly.  Judy folded her ears back thinking that was a weird thing to say in a panic, but she went to get Nick to put him down.  Nick laughed softly and put Jack back on his feet, making it obvious he wasn’t really going to throw the rabbit away.  Jack smoothed his shirt a bit and Skye scooped him up protectively.  The striped bunny laughed a bit to make sure Skye knew that he didn’t feel threatened by the fox. 

 

“What was that about ice cream?” Nick asked, looking confused about that as much as Judy had been.

 

“The bin.  I didn’t know if Wilde knew it, but it’s half full of containers of melting ice cream, all flavors.  If I had been tossed in there I’d have become a Neapolitan disaster!”  He tucked his shirt in again as Skye doted over him, helping him get his shirt impeccably straight again.  Judy smiled a bit as she found that the other rabbit did not seem to mind it and this was making the vixen rather happy.  She was acting very much like a friend and not a fan.

 

Nick looked into the bin and folded his ears back.  “Wow.  It is.  It’s got at least like... twenty gallons of ice cream.  The containers aren’t even marked, like they were from a restaurant or something.  It’s not been in the bin long, it’s still partially frozen.”  Judy hopped up enough to see inside the bin.  There were over a dozen simple brown cardboard containers of ice cream with no labels sitting in the bottom slowly oozing their contents as they had been haphazardly chucked in there.

 

“That’s weird…” Judy stated.  “Who throws away just… a bunch of ice cream like that?”  She hopped back down.  Nick shrugged.

 

“I dunno.  Maybe it went bad.  Glad I didn’t actually toss you right on in,” he laughed at Jack.  The actor laughed back, seeming not to be offended by the playful behavior, and Judy watched as he took Skye’s hand.  Skye looked down at it and folded her scarlet-tinted ears back tight, walking along out of the alleyway with the other rabbit.  Judy smirked a bit.  Skye had absolutely no reason to be mad at Nick anymore, so Judy supposed her ‘home’ with him was safe for the time being.

 

Nick seemed to notice as well and leaned back, not following after them.  “You two don’t go too crazy at the pubs and the like around here,” he said, “We’re still on duty and have a report to write back at the precinct.  See you around!”  Judy stood by her partner.  The officers watched as the other two returned to the park to collect their drinks and clean up from where they left their food behind in the chase.

 

“Thank you for helping with that, Nick,” Judy finally said.

 

“I didn’t do anything, I just made sure not to prevent it.  Jack’s helpless against how awesome foxes are.”  The red vulpine grinned.  Judy punched him in the arm, making him yelp.

 

“Awesomely tender, you loaf!” Judy barked back.  Nick rubbed his arm briskly and laughed.  He shook his head.

 

“Seriously though, fluff, I doubt it’s anything serious, those two.  Very different worlds and Jack’s great for letting her have a chance to hang out and have fun.  I doubt Skye’s looking for more than the chance she got to just… not be a complete disaster in front of him.”  Judy walked along with Nick as they headed back to the cruiser.

 

“What, you think they can’t be closer friends?  Because Skye’s a fox?” Judy asked, thinking it was odd for Nick to feel that way.

 

“No, because Jack’s an actor and I think Skye would need more singular attention than a guy in his position could provide.” Nick stated matter-o-factly. 

 

“I don’t know,” Judy stated as they arrived at the car, “I think Skye’s pretty independent.  I guess the tabloids would make her unhappy though.” Judy sighed as she considered the reality of it.  “A shame, they’re kinda cute together.”

 

Nick got into the car and shook his head as Judy got into the driver’s seat.  “There you go, Carrots, you get to use that word all willy-nilly, and I get slugged for accidentally letting it slip.”  The doe laughed at him for the observation.

 

“It’s got a little different connotation when regarding something like that, Slick.”  She smirked as she turned on the engine.  “So… What _have_ you been telling your building superintendent about me?”

 

Nick suddenly looked alarmed.  “Oh no.” he said in a fearful tone.

 

“Oh no?  That bad?” Judy asked, folding her ears back.  Nick looked back pitifully.

 

“Skye stole my favorite pen.”


	22. Gathering

**Guardian Blue: Season One**

Episode 22: Gathering

 

 

 

 

Judy’s eyes fluttered open.  She groggily stretched a bit and then froze.  She was wrapped in Nick’s arms again.  Her eyes opened and she gazed forward.  Cream-colored fur was all she saw.  He was not wearing a shirt.  Judy shifted a bit.  She wasn’t on the couch.  She was in Nick’s bed.  How the heck did that happen?!  She looked up, seeing her partner’s peacefully slumbering face.  Judy could not pull her gaze away.  He looked so harmless and sweet, despite all the mischief he could get up to.  This was, she decided, why she liked seeing him asleep.  It felt like it was the only time he wasn’t really hiding behind that smugness and playful and sometimes irritating banter.  She cupped her muzzle as she considered that.  Sure, he was just shirtless as he slept there beside her, but when she got right down to it, when he was asleep he was vulnerable to her.  More naked than he could be in the Mystic Springs Oasis. 

 

Judy took a deeper breath and leaned back.  “I’m sorry Nick, I really need to get myself under control with this.  I’m gonna really mess things up…” she barely whispered to herself, and began to pull away.  Nick tightened his grip on her, his eyes opening slowly.

 

“Are you ashamed of this?  Of me?” he asked with a sad face, looking down to her.

 

“Of course not, Nick!” Judy said, exasperated.  “But you know what kind of trouble this would cause.  Just like with Jack and Skye, remember?  I cause you so much trouble already.”  Judy sighed softly, looking down as she placed a hand on Nick’s chest.  He wrapped his tail around her as if to snare her more with it.  She ran her fingers through the fur of it.  His tail, as always, was just inexcusably soft.  Her heart soared just touching him.  That… probably was not a healthy sign.

 

Nick spoke again, sounding a little lost.  “Is it just because of what Sammie said?  About the Security Attachment stuff?  Are you worried that something’s wrong with you, Judy?  You know that’s not real, right?”  Judy looked up, startled.  How the hell did he know about that?

 

“Of course I know that, I’m not that slow!”  Nick placed a hand on her back, claw-tips drawing along the middle and caressing over a thin nightshirt.  It sent chills through her entire body.  Her heart hammered hard in her chest as she realized she wanted to be touched.  She wanted him to hold her, touch her, to be close.  They just couldn’t.  It’s wasn’t either of their fault.

 

Nick spoke again in his softening tone.  “Then what is this, if it’s not that?” the fox asked with a sadness to his voice.

 

Judy sighed softly.  “Nick, please don’t make me answer that right now.”  Judy closed her eyes and could not help but put her head against his chest and draw in a deep, long breath.  His scent was so comforting and alluring to her.  Was it really supposed to be?  What kind of bunny wanted _this_?  She spoke into his warm fur quietly.  “You know how some mammals act about this, and not even with the kind of differences that _we_ have.”

 

The fox clutched her close to him, not letting go.  “Okay then, which of those mammals do you wish was holding you right now instead?” he asked.  Judy jerked a little, startled at that.  No one.  No one else was ever going to hold her like this.

 

“I shouldn’t even have asked this of you, Nick, it’s not fair to you.”  She gave a long, deep sigh.  Nick pulled her even tighter to his front, and Judy felt herself practically melt in his embrace.  She could push away, she could say no, but she wouldn’t.  She wanted this.  She could not deny for a second how much she wanted this.

 

Nick spoke in his gentle, honest tone that he seemed to only ever share with her.  “There you go again, looking for excuses to make sure you’re never really happy.  Why do you do that?  What in the world makes you think I don’t enjoy this every bit as much as you?” he asked.  Judy curled up a little tighter against this fox.

 

“Nick…” she said in a plaintive squeak, heart flooding with that sense of contentment she always felt so strongly when she was this close to him.

 

“Yeah, fluff?” came his voice, but it was far more distant.  Judy opened her eyes, her face pushed tight against the back of the couch.  She sat up, blinking a bit in dazed confusion.  Nick stood in the kitchen, waiting on the coffee maker as it quietly percolated.  She looked at him, finding that he had his dark blue ZPD Academy t-shirt and jogging pants on.  She was not in Nick’s bed.  She was on the couch.  “You called me?”  Nick tilted his head curiously.  Judy’s heart dropped.  It was a dream.

 

“C-can you pour me a cup too?” she asked, having no idea what else to say as her heart slammed into the back of her ribs.  Oh wasn’t that just the icing on the damn cake?  She could not possibly be dreaming about him like that!  She sucked in a deep breath and made a beeline for the bathroom.  “I’m gonna take a quick shower, should be done by the time the coffee’s ready.”

 

Nick rummaged in the cabinet as he answered.  “No problem Carrots.  I got a call from Wolfard.  He said they didn’t find anything weird with the ice-cream.  Nothing packed in it or anything, so I’m not sure that it had to do with anything, but he said it was smart to think it might.”  Judy barely registered what Nick was saying, closing the bathroom door, disrobing and cranking on the shower.

 

“Of course,” she said to herself, shivering a bit from the initially cold water.  “Since I moved in here I’ve not been alone at all so my hormones are just playing pure hell with my head right now.”  She shuddered again and sighed.  She was gonna have to convince Nick to take an afternoon and visit his mom or Finnick or something so she could get herself back in control.  The realization that her problem had a definitive scientific and understandable reason gave Judy back some composure however.  That was something she understood and could emotionally deal with right then.  She washed up and headed out of the shower a bit renewed and comfortable.  It had definitely helped.

 

“Usual mix?” Nick asked, handing her the cup she always used.  It was a tall white mug with a lovely embossed leaf pattern all the way around it.  It reminded her of the ivy back at home.  Nick had fashioned it with four sugars, no cream.  The coffee was not decaf, but she found that it wasn’t a problem so long as she didn’t down it quickly.  She nursed the cup a while as she finished waking up, trying to shake the bizarre dream from her memories.  After a while, Nick spoke again, looking in the fridge.  “I know you are usually a bran-muffin kind of bunny in the morning, but would you like a sandwich?  Oh, never mind.  We’re out of tuna.”  He turned and glared at Judy.  She laughed at the fox.

 

“It was just to get you and you know it.”  She sipped her coffee again.  “Maybe you can tell me what you told Skye about me.”  Judy grinned mischievously at him.  Nick had been evasive about it, but she figured it had not been anything negative since Skye had actually seemed somewhat protective of the doe, not dismissive or unpleasant.

 

“Just bragging about our case record is all.  She knows you are not a bunny to be underestimated.  I know.  I’ve underestimated you before, even right in front of Skye.”  He then walked over to Judy and handed her a little blue velvet pouch.  “It’s yours to hold onto now.”  Nick smiled pleasantly.  Judy held the somewhat heavy pouch in her small hand.  She recognized it.  Why did she recognize it?  She carefully opened it and let the contents drop into her hand.  The pewter GOT YOU coin.  Judy’s heart felt like it suddenly occupied the area from her neck to her navel.  She had to stifle a whimper. 

 

“I can’t… I can’t take this Nick, it’s too special.  You and your mom-“ she stammered.

 

Nick held up a paw and smiled warmly.  “I have the original, Judy.  I got this one when I realized my mom had kept the original for so long… so we’d both have one.  Kind of a family thing, right?” he laughed.  “But I think you have hustled your way into the Wilde family.  I will just order another, and you keep that one to commemorate the fact that twice now you have gotten Nick Wilde.”  Nick stepped closer and Judy’s heart hammered faster, all her will bent to just preventing her from sobbing at the gesture.  She swallowed and remained stoic as she looked up at her partner.  He said in a near whisper, placing a pw on her shoulder.  “Hold onto it and never forget...  You are _not_ a dumb bunny.”

 

Judy clutched the little velvet pouch tightly and nodded to Nick.  She was speechless.  She didn’t collect things.  She didn’t attach herself to things.  It’s why a single box was practically all it took to move from one apartment to another.  This was different.  This she would know the exact location of this forever.  She was almost fearful of the immediate emotional attachment but simply unable to prevent it.

 

Finally, taking a deep breath, she said with as much stoicism as she could, “Thank you.”  Nick seemed aware of how much it meant and how Judy was fighting her more emotional side since he quickly distracted her with another subject.

 

He said happily, “If you haven’t tanked up too much on the coffee, we can get our run out of the way and grab a treat on the way in for Clawhauser since he helped make sure things went smoothly yesterday.  I could use a pastry as well.  It’s eight, they’re open now.”  Judy was thankful for the emotional diversion, and nodded, stretching a little and preparing for their morning jog.  The exercise was something she missed while she was recovering from the bus incident and she’d promised Nick they could jog together when she was better.  He obviously still looked forward to it.  There was a tap at the door however.  Judy folded her ears back, inwardly scolding herself for how much it alarmed her.  The home invasion of a couple nights ago was still apparently fresh in her mind.  Nick didn’t seem so rattled, moving over to answer the door.  A familiar vixen stepped in.

 

“Brought your pen back, sorry about that.” She laughed.  Judy laughed as well, remembering how ‘devastated’ Nick had been.  It was a nice silver pen, but not irreplaceable.  “Also, thanks for yesterday.”  She looked at Judy as she said this.  “I know I was angry and probably didn’t make the best impression but for what it’s worth, it really meant something to me.  And that you have done all this…”  She gestured a bit in Nick’s general direction since he was wearing a ZPD workout uniform. “Well, that’s special too.  So big kudos.  You two getting ready to run?” she asked. 

 

Judy placed the velvet pouch with her new treasure carefully in the duffle bag where she had the very few keepsakes she owned and answered the vixen.  “Yep, just for a bit.  You are welcome to join us.”  She wanted to be friendly since Skye had been so complimentary, but knew the answer before even inviting her.

 

“Oh no, I got my half mile dash in yesterday, thanks!” she laughed.  “Steer clear of the park though, it’s gonna be crazy crowded.”  Nick looked up and nodded.

 

“Oh that’s right, the Trunkapalooza thing.” He said.  “Ice cream and elephants abound!”  He laughed.  It was the event Bogo had mentioned, put on each year by Jumbeaux’s Ice Cream.  “Thanks for reminding me, we will go one train stop further on the train and just backtrack to the station.”

 

Judy smiled, rubbing and testing her shoulder.  It was still a little tight, but nothing that would prevent her from running.  She spoke sunnily to Skye, “Are you gonna go?  They have some good music picks for this year.”

 

“No way!” she said hastily, “I know it sounds silly but I’m kinda scared of elephants.  They’ve got all that mass and if one of them snaps even running into a building for cover won’t help!”  She shook her head.  “That sounds awful doesn’t it?  I knew one who was scared of mice when I was a kid, she never told me why but she wrecked-“

 

Skye was suddenly cut off as Nick exclaimed, “Oh my god!”  Judy looked up, startled by that.  “We’re so stupid!”  Skye seemed completely dumbfounded.  Nick’s expression was mortified, his eyes darting side to side a little, making it clear he was thinking hard.  Skye started to speak but Judy held up a hand. 

 

“What is it, Nick?” the bunny asked. 

 

He finally answered, “Judy, the tranq-buster, do you remember why it didn’t fully work on the guy who was trying to stab you?”  Judy gritted her teeth, looking at Skye who suddenly looked a lot more serious.  Judy knew Nick was not supposed to talk openly about this case.

 

“Yeah, he took it warm, it’s supposed to be really cold to work, why?”  Nick held his hands up.

 

“Ice cream, Judy.  They could lace ice cream with it.  It would be effective!”  Judy cupped a hand over her muzzle.  She remembered the ice cream that they found in the dumpster.  Nothing had been done with it.  There had been nothing wrong with it because it had just been replaced with different ice cream.  Drugged ice cream.

 

“Nick, the elephants that eat that will be tranq-dart-proof!” Judy cried.  “Why would they even do – No!”  She backed up, bewildered at a sudden thought.  Skye looked genuinely fearful of the conversation.  “They’re gonna pop them with Nighthowlers Nick!  What are they thinking?  They’ll level the area around the park, we won’t be able to stop them!”  Nick grabbed his phone. 

 

“I’ll call it in, we gotta get to work fast!” he semi-shouted.  Skye looked back and forth between the pair. 

 

“I can take you, I have a car.”  She offered, patting her pockets to make sure she had her keys.

 

Judy shook her head.  “It’s not safe, Skye, this is not a simple chase with a goat thief.  I don’t want you to say anything to anyone as it’s not happened yet, but we might be looking at more than one savage elephant that the ZPD can’t really bring down.”  Skye gritted her teeth at that, shaking her head, obviously second-guessing her offered involvement.  She had just stated that elephants made her uncomfortable.

 

Nick loudly called out, “Judy!  No one’s picking up at the ZPD.  God… What if it’s started?”  Judy’s blood ran cold.  It was an attack.  The ZPD, all of city central was under attack.  Why?  Nick spoke again.  “Skye.  Is your car fast?”

 

 

 ------------------------------------

 

 

Judy found herself pressed back into Nick under forceful acceleration as the three mammals roared down the onramp to the freeway.  The two-seater vehicle she was in did not have special modifications for a rabbit occupant so she was on Nick’s lap, and yes, the car was fast.  Skye had run with them to the garage and put the officers into a rebuilt and modified matte black muscle car.  It would seem that the vixen liked to tinker with all things mechanical and this was her pride and joy.  She knew how to drive it, too.  In seconds Judy and Nick found themselves racing toward city center, the roar of the engine thunderous. 

 

Nick spoke from behind Judy.  “Still no answer at ZPD, I’m calling Bogo’s cell, it’s deinitely the right kind of emergency.”  Nick pulled it up on his phone. 

 

Judy held onto the seatbelt that was over her and Nick both.  She shouted over the engine, “Another ten minutes and I bet it would have been stand-still traffic.  I don’t see any emergency vehicles heading that way, maybe we aren’t too late.  I can’t think of why we can’t reach the ZPD.”  Judy then went silent as she heard Bogo’s voice loudly through Nick’s phone, even over the roar of the engine, the fox pulling the cellphone away from his head.

 

“Wilde!  This had better be a completely genuine emergency!  Our phones are down due to a maintenance accident and we are unable to get emergency calls in through dispatch, we are trying to get the phone company to forward those calls to a security company and link them back to a mobile.”  Nick looked at Judy and then spoke loudly into the phone.

 

“Chief!  We are on our way there!  It might not be an accident!  We have reason to think that the ice cream being served at Trunkapalooza in the park nearby is tainted with tranq-buster!” 

 

There was a short pause and then the chief yelled back, “Wilde, why in the world would they tranq-proof unsuspecting elephants in the park!?”

 

Judy spoke up, yelling to the phone as Nick used his other hand to hold onto the handle above the window as the car veered onto an off-ramp.  They were approaching the police station and the park.  “Chief, we think there’s someone who’s going to use Nighthowler serum on the tranq-proofed elephants!”  There was another pause on the other end of the line.

 

“Holy mother of-“  By his tone, Bogo seemed to get the gist. 

 

“Chief!” Nick cried back into the phone, “Is it just the phones or is the whole communications system down?  Can you reach the officers on the radio?”  Nick got his answer not directly, but in overhearing the chief as he bellowed orders on his end.

 

“Clawhauser!  Call every officer on the roster, one at a time on your cell!  Tell them to get here now!  Tell them they need to clear the park!”  Bogo hung up his phone, likely to help make calls and prepare for a possible crisis.  Judy looked over, finding that Skye seemed pretty shaken, but was keeping herself under control.  Judy felt bad thrusting the other fox into this kind of danger.  She wasn’t trained for it, didn’t want it, and should not be in it.  

 

After a few more minutes the dark sports car slid into the parking lot sideways, leaving long black tire marks as it came to a halt.  Judy and Nick jumped out, both heading right for the park.  Nick unsheathed his Taser but Judy knew that to an elephant it would be little more than a distraction.  As they arrived in a full run, Judy realized that there did not seem to be any trouble.  Everyone was milling around, kids were playing, and there was no screaming.  There were no thundering sounds of heavy mammals fleeing in a stampede, any of the things she expected in the kind of disaster they were going into. 

 

“Well, we’re early, not sure if that’s the best thing or the worst thing.” Nick panted a bit. 

 

Judy looked around quickly, trying to gauge the situation as fast as she could.  “We need to watch someplace high.  Whoever intends to do this doesn’t want to be down low when the chaos starts.”

 

“They planned this out so well, but Judy look how many kids, oh god no…”  Nick’s voice cracked a bit.  He did not want to see any of them get hurt. 

 

Judy tugged her partner toward the line of booths.  “Nick, it’s still early, I’ll bet they intend to wait until more ice cream can be eaten, we might be able to shut it down before any can, let’s get this done.”  In the distance they could hear sirens.  Help was on the way.  Judy and Nick made their way through the throngs of folks already there and reached a booth that was obviously Jumbeaux’s.

 

“Hey!  Hey, down here!”  Judy called to the very cheerful looking elephant at the counter.  He looked around, then down.  “Yes, here!” Judy stated.  “Is there a way to check to see if the ice cream you are serving is actually Jumbeaux’s?” she asked.  He looked a bit alarmed.

 

“Who are you, what are you doing, get out of here!” he shouted.

 

“Judy Hopps, ZPD, we have reason to believe that someone might have tampered with the ice cream.”  She was not quiet about it.  She could not afford to be.  A few people backed away from the booth.

 

“Are you trying to wreck our business?” asked the elephant, “Get out of here!”  He stepped out from behind the counter and waved his trunk to move Judy back.  Folks began to gather and watch.  Nick jumped on the counter and hopped right into the tubs.

 

“Fox!  Fox footprints in the ice cream!  This vanilla is now fox-feet flavored!” he yelled.  There was a collective groan from the crowd and some angry murmuring.  The elephant covered his large flappy ears in shock.

 

“What are you doing?!  I’ll call the cops!”  The elephant running the shop tried to extricate Nick with his trunk.  Nick and Judy were in their sweats since they didn’t have time to change before racing out here, and while they said ZPD on them it was far from being in uniform.

 

The fox jumped up and moved over another tub.  “Tell us how to check to see if these are the real deal or I walk down the rocky road!” Nick threatened.  Oddly, despite the seriousness, there was laughter from the crowd.

 

The exasperated elephant answered, trunk-swiping at Nick again.  “They’ll all have the date stamped on the bottom with the quality control guy’s initials, get outta there!”  He tried again to remove Nick with his trunk, but the fox ducked down and pulled out the heavy tub of ice cream.  The bottom was blank.  The elephant stopped.

 

“Where is it?  Where’s it supposed to be?” Nick asked.  There was murmuring through the crowd.

 

It’s supposed to be right there, in the middle on the bottom, there’s nothing?” he asked.  He seemed suddenly fearful.

 

Judy called out, “Everyone, tampered with does not mean dangerous, we have no reason to believe that there is any immediate danger, but we fear that there may be an incident planned in the park and I ask that you get the word out, please get the children away from the park.  Do so quickly and quietly, try not to make it look like a rush.  We don’t want to cause a stampede.”  There was a lot more worried murmuring and those with children paid way more attention to the warning, heading toward the parking lot Judy and Nick had just come from.  Judy looked back to the attendant.  “Have any elephants eaten this ice cream yet?”  He was tipping over additional containers, finding only one that had the date and QC stamp as proof of what was supposed to be there.  Two police cruisers showed up.  Higgins and Snarloff jumped out and began fanning through the park, bullhorns in hand, asking that folks follow them in an orderly fashion.

 

There was loud honking and Judy looked up, Nick looking as well.  Skye, who Judy had expected would have left as soon as she dropped the pair off, motioned them over.  Nick nodded to Judy and the bunny darted over to the car.  Skye leaned low behind the steering wheel as if afraid of being seen. 

 

The white vixen gasped out, “There’s someone up there.  I think he’s got a gun.”  Her eyes darted up and Judy looked in that direction.  She saw it immediately.  There were antlers, someone laying prone on the scaffolding of a billboard lifted high off the ground.  Judy squinted and could make out what definitely appeared to be the long barrel of a rifle.  She jumped in the driver’s side window and hugged Skye then darted back to Nick.

 

“He says maybe twenty of thirty so far had the ice cream, all from containers that were tainted.” Nick said.  “Him included.”  He nodded to the worried elephant. 

 

The elephant hugged himself and said anxiously, “And it’s not poisonous, right?  I’m not gonna get sick?” the elephant asked plaintively.  Judy motioned for Nick to lower his voice and lean down.

 

She said in a hushed tone.  “Up on the billboard at your six.  Deer with a gun.  Skye spotted him.  He’s prone, he’s probably realized we’re on to him.  I don’t know if he’ll still-“  They were interrupted by an audible ‘pak!’ and Nick turned around to see a wide blue splotch on the elephant booth attendant’s forehead.  He looked stunned.

 

“Oh god no.  No, no.”  Judy backed up with Nick.  The elephant hunkered down, thrashing suddenly.  More cruisers began arriving.

 

Nick yelled out as loud as he could.  “Clear the park!  Clear it now!  Savage!”  This was heard by the other officers.  They began fanning out, and the screaming and running began.  There was another sound of impact and another elephant went down. 

 

“Nick!” Judy cried.  “Come on, let’s get him, the fewer he has the chance to hit the better!”  She then saw Skye’s car roar through the parking lot in the direction of the billboard.  “What the hell’s she doing?!” Judy cried as Nick continued in a dead run, certainly not keeping up with the muscle car.  “Oh no…”  Nick slowed a bit and Judy figured it out at the same time, but the bunny only sped up.

 

“Skye no!”  Nick yelled, but Judy was sure she could not have heard him.  Without even touching the brakes, Skye slammed her well-tuned, carefully rebuilt and tended muscle car into the strong, broad wooden support beam on one side of the billboard.  It splintered and was swept out from under it as her car slid sideways into bushes on the other side.  The whole billboard skewed and went over sideways, dumping the deer into the street hard.  Nick and Judy were still a pretty good distance off when they saw his form shakily stand up.  He picked up half his gun and threw it down, realizing it was broken by the fall.  He then realized that there were two mammals running up to him.  Given their non-uniform outfits, the deer did not start running away immediately, only when he finally caught a glimpse of the emblem on Nick’s shirt. 

 

“Stop right there!” the fox yelled.  There was screaming from the direction of the park, but the pair could not pay attention to that right then, they needed to do their jobs here.  Judy would let the other officers, with all their training and experience, take care of that.  At least two elephants were out of control and likely unable to be stunned or tranq-darted.

 

The deer did not stop of course.  He ran.  His black outfit covered most of his body which, on a warm day like this one, made him easy to keep track of and the officers kept up.  Judy looked to the side as she passed Skye’s car.  The white fox was leaned forward, head against her steering wheel.  Judy slowed down, suddenly concerned.  The fox looked up, a small cut on her head, crimson drawing a line down her face.

 

“Go!  I’m alright, get him!” she cried.  She was physically alright, but she was obviously upset.  Judy could understand.  The front of her car was a crumpled mess.  Judy bolted alongside Nick, catching up quickly.  The deer, despite having hurt his arm it seemed, had no trouble keeping ahead of the officers.  He took a course along the sidewalk as the chaos in the park kept the other police busy, most likely not even aware that Nick and Judy were after the shooter.

 

Judy felt less enjoyment about the warmth of the day as the chase seemed to drag on, their hard pounding feet carrying them several blocks, then several more, buildings sliding by.  Judy had no idea where the deer even expected to go.  The fact that there were no police radios made it more likely that he would evade capture if he could just get away from Nick and Judy.  Judy felt the burn in her muscles but was not going to let that happen.  She and Nick left the park but for all she knew there were fatalities.  Those were savage elephants.  Her officer friends might be dead.  Children might have died.  This guy was not going to get away!

 

His speed began to drop and the pair’s police training looked like it was going to win the day again, but rather suddenly, they ran out of room to run at all.  They found themselves at the wall that separated city central from Tundra town.  The deer looked like he was in pain, he looked almost sick from running, and he looked desperate.  Judy and Nick approached him cautiously.  Those antlers were not just for show, they could do damage.

 

“Darmaw, I presume.” Nick panted raggedly.  “It’s over.  The ZPD will have gotten your two elephants at least away from innocent mammals.  They won’t be doing any harm today.”

 

“Don’t presume you know me, fox!  You and your kind, what vision have you other than crawling around in darkness?!”  He spit at Nick.  He continued to back along the massive wall.  A few people were gathering but Judy waved them off.  It was dangerous, why did people always get closer during serious police events?

 

Judy called out, “Whatever you hoped to accomplish didn’t happen.  And it won’t.  Give up.  It doesn’t get better from here if you keep going.  It only gets harder.”  The deer looked around a bit, eyes wide with panic, then rushed at Nick, who dodged him, but saw too late that the deer was not after the officer.  He rushed past the fox with his head down, antlers a threat that Nick was swift in avoiding but the buck snatched up a wolf cub, a girl, and then ducked into a large brass-looking pipe.  It was an air vent for pressure release from the mechanical guts of the barrier wall.  Nick and Judy followed him in an instant with the screams of the too-curious mother wolf ringing in their ears.  Judy swore loudly as she followed Nick.  Was getting cell-phone video up close worth that danger?  Was it really?

 

“What kind of nut are we dealing with?!” Nick growled, then yelped a bit as he, then Judy slid some ways down.  Judy collided with the back of her partner hard, wrenching, of course, her bad shoulder, groaning in pain, then they both fell forward.  The pipe led down to a place Judy didn’t recognize.  It was a metal catwalk in a dark place, and the roar of water could be heard.  It was dark and damp here, but she couldn’t see well.  She could hardly see at all. 

 

Nick seemed to know that Judy couldn’t see and he called out, “Don’t move, fluff!  It’s a hundred feet down to the water below!  We’re in the Tundra-town melt-way.”  Judy widened her eyes at that.  The area where Tundra Town’s wall bordered Sahara Square resulted in melting that ran back to the river that ran between Savanna Central and Sahara Square.  Judy had never seen it, but she knew about it.  The water was deep, fast, freezing and dangerous below.  Most of the storm run-off went to this same area, making it far from appealing for a swim since all kinds of wood, rock and debris would be down there too.

 

The buck called out in the darkness.  “Either you both jump in the water or the girl goes for a swim!”  Judy looked dead ahead and her eyes adjusted enough to barely see him, holding the suddenly screaming five or six year old canine over the edge of the rail.  Judy’s heart sank.  This was a choice she did not want to have to live with.  They could not jump because they did not have a way to be sure he wouldn’t hurt her anyway.  He proved he was willing to kill children indiscriminately already by hitting elephants in the park with Nighthowler serum.

 

Nick called out loudly, “Wait!  Why are you even doing this?!”  He was kneeling, not fully standing.  Judy’s heart raced.  Was he planning something?  He was closer to the deer than Judy was, and his night vision was good enough that the deer might not even be able to see him coming.  Judy could only see a little.

 

The buck laughed nervously and answered.  “You are going to die, no sense telling you a damn thing.  You wouldn’t understand anyway.  None of you lousy cops would!  Who cares if a kid’s pop gets his neck broke in an altercation with police?  It’s not even worth a paragraph on a police blotter, but no one cares what it does to his family.  He was drunk, not armed and dangerous!  Drunk people fight!  They fight!”  Judy listened to him as Nick seemed poised, perfectly still, intensely focused.  What could her partner safely do?  With how he felt about kids, he would be devastated if he tried something and the wolf girl didn’t make it.  Nick said nothing.  Judy could kind of put together hints of what this was about though.  Darmaw lost his dad after a scuffle with police.  It was hard to know how long ago it was.  In the past fights with police were a lot riskier because the less-than-lethal technology just wasn’t there yet. 

 

Judy’s partner spoke up loudly over the din of the rapids a hundred feet below.  “So this wasn’t an attack on the city, you were attacking the ZPD.  You were attacking the police by giving them targets they would die trying to take on with the equipment that would have saved your dad.  Do you think this is what he’d have wanted?” Nick seemed to get it too.  Lethal measures were not carried by officers these days.  Firearms were sometimes used by criminals but the cost of being found with one was so great that even most criminals avoided handling them.  Without them, however, stopping crazed elephants was likely to do exactly what this maniac wanted.  Kill cops.  Probably a lot of them if Skye hadn’t intervened. 

 

“It ain’t enough.  It’ll never be enough, not even if every one of you was dead.  But you two, I get to watch you die.  Jump or she goes!”  He held the girl up.  She cried out again.  Judy realized with growing dread that help might not be coming and the only reason the girl as alive was as a bargaining chip.  She was not really trained for hostage negotiation, and this guy was completely off the rails.

 

Nick shouted again.  “Your family doesn’t want this for you!  You need help, not revenge!” Nick called out plaintively.

 

“It ain’t revenge!” the buck fairly screamed.  “I need suffering for you cops!  If you won’t die, you can just wish you did!”  And with that, the mad-mammal pitched the girl over the edge. 

 

Time felt like it nearly stood still for Judy and she was frozen in it.  They lost the little girl.  They might get this crazed deer, they might be heroes for preventing his plan from taking full shape, but that little girl was gone.  There was nothing that would ever fix that hole in Judy’s heart.  The bunny couldn’t even cry out, it was just too terrible. 

 

In the same motion that Darmaw threw the girl, Judy saw her partner airborne.  It didn’t even register at first, but as time seemed to snap back to normality, she saw Nick sail over the railing.  he grabbed the railing with one hand and the little wolf’s pink denim overalls with his other hand.  He swung over the edge and slammed into the other side of the rail, grunting in pain as he shielded the girl with his body.  Judy was shocked at how fast he did that, but Darmaw was not shocked.  He was furious.  He punched the hand Nick was using to hold on, the fox dropped, catching the edge of the catwalk, a simple bar that made up part of the scaffolding.  Judy cried out.  Darmaw was going to kill them both!

 

The next second Judy put all the strength in her body into a single fluid motion.  She launched herself at the buck.  He didn’t even turn to see his aggressor, raising a hoof to stomp Nick’s hand and send him to the horrible fate below.  Like so many others, he underestimated Judy Hopps.  Her feet connected with the deer before he could bring his hoof down and he was slammed so hard into the railing that it snapped out of its fittings and he was violently cast over the edge with a terrified wail.  Judy was launched backward with the force of her kick on the larger mass and landed safely, although painfully, on her back on the metal grating of the catwalk.  She then scrambled to the edge toward the sound of the child crying and looked down to see Nick holding on, the little girl tucked to his chest.  The bunny cried out happily and held out her hand.

 

“Take her first, Judy!” Nick said, pulling the screaming girl up to where Judy could reach her.  It was far enough down from the edge of the actual grating that Judy had to hold on to the railing above her a little and lean down to get her, but she did.  The girl was a little heavy on Judy’s sore shoulder but she got her up and moved her back up against the wall.

 

“You say here, right here, okay?” Judy asked quickly.  “I have to get my partner, stay!”  The girl sobbed and nodded, understanding.  Judy turned and her sensitive ears heard a metallic ‘ping’ from Nick’s direction. 

 

She quickly scrambled over to him and called out.  “Okay, now you!  Come on!”  She looked over the edge and her heart felt like it simply ceased to exist.  Nick wasn’t there.  Judy looked down intently.

 

The ping she heard was the bar Nick was holding onto popping free from the scaffolding.  The bolt sheared off.  Judy froze.

 

“Nick?” she called out, her body feeling suddenly insurmountably weak.  There was only the roar of the water.

 

“Nick!” She cried again, much louder.  Still nothing.  Judy began to shake, pulling in a painfully deep breath, tears spilling down her cheeks as her body went numb.  She wailed at the top of her lungs.

 

“NIIIIIIICK!”


	23. Losing

**Guardian Blue: Season One**

Episode 23: Losing

 

 

 

 

Judy woke up in another oversized hospital bed.  She was not alone.  Chief Bogo was in the room.  Somehow waking up to him wasn’t comforting, and the reasons all came rushing in at once.  Flashes of what happened after flooded in too.  Judy took the little girl wolf out of the dangerous location to reunite her with her mom who was almost explosively grateful.  But Judy didn’t have time to soak up the praise.  She had to get help.  She borrowed the wolf lady’s cell and called Clawhauser directly.  She knew she was barely intelligible, but she gave Clawhauser the location.  Help would come, the cheetah promised.

 

Judy didn’t even ask how the elephant thing was going.  She just hugged her knees to her chest and everyone watched her as she shook, fighting crying yet again.  When help arrived she took them hastily down to where it had happened.  Flashlights provided light but little else.  There was no fox to be seen, clinging on debris, fighting the rushing current so far below.  No answer came to multiple calls.  Wolf noses would be no help and there wasn’t even a way to get down to him if the fall were not almost certainly fatal.  They couldn’t help him.  Judy grabbed a rope from the rescue team’s duffel and fought efforts to restrain her on the narrow walkway.  She remembered fighting.  She was desperate.  They had to do something.  It was his only chance.  She heard a ‘pif’ from an air cartridge.  A tranq gun.  She had turned to see Wolfard holding it.  He tranquilized her.  She was so out of control that he had to tranquilize her.  She remembered his sad face. 

 

“Hopps…”  Bogo’s voice did not carry a happy tone to it.

 

“Nick…”  Judy half whispered.  Her throat hurt.  She had been screaming after he fell.  She remembered.

 

“We haven’t found him.  We found the attacker, he was washed out into the river.”  Judy perked up a bit, her mind beginning to pull away from the sedation.

 

She asked softly, “Was he alive?”  If Darmaw had survived, maybe Nick had a chance.

 

“No, he did not survive.  We do not have the autopsy yet but drowning was suspected.  You were the only other mammal on scene so we don’t even know the full details of what happened in the first place.  There’s not a rush for that Judy.  This is… a lot.”  Bogo hung his head.

 

Judy’s body ached, her heart felt like it was missing and her stomach felt like it wanted to empty.  She whispers softly.  “Then he’s gone…”  She began to shake a little.  Wake up.  It was a nightmare.  It was a dream; it had to be a dream.  Something this terrible could not be real.  Not with all the good she’d done.  It couldn’t be allowed.  Not this. 

 

Bogo’s voice deepened and became softer.  “I’m sorry Judy.  Even if he survived the fall, the water’s just above freezing.  We’re… treating this as a recovery, not a rescue at this point.”  Judy’s heart raced and her body felt clammy.  Nick was dead and she had killed someone.  She killed Darmaw and couldn’t save her partner.  Both of those things were unthinkable realities of her job and she wasn’t ready for both at once.

 

Judy sat up suddenly and whimpered.  “Trash can.”  Bogo provided it to her so she could be sick with as much dignity as that would allow.  Once that was over, she just sobbed, her voice amplified a bit by the plastic bin.  Bogo remained there for a bit longer, waiting for Judy to recover a bit.  She put the bin down by the bed fearing she may need it again as she laid back, head on the far-too-large pillow. 

 

Bogo spoke again, his voice a little louder.  “I wanted you to know, even with this tragedy, you and Nick saved an uncountable number of civilians and officers today.  Your partner and the shooter were the only known fatalities.  Three officers were injured in the process of getting the two elephants contained but it could have been so much worse.  There were 13 more pellets in Darmaw’s rifle.”  Judy felt rage build up in her.  Nick was the only one who lost his life and he was the one who figured out the plot.  He was the one who saved the little girl.  He didn’t deserve to die.  He deserved it least of anyone.  Judy took a breath, recalling her training.  She wasn’t supposed to fall into the what-if pit.  She couldn’t allow herself to second guess what she did, she did her best.  Nick did his best.  But she was the only one who survived.  What was she supposed to do now?  How was she supposed to deal with this?  How could she?  She couldn’t imagine life without him.

 

She shook her head.  She had to not think about it.  She had to do something.  “I need a pad of paper and a pen.  I need to write down what happened while it’s all fresh in my head, sir.”  Judy looked up at her chief.  He seemed hesitant, he obviously didn’t want her thinking about work, but his features softened.  Perhaps he realized that Judy needed to do this to distract herself, focus on the job and do what she was trained to do.  He complied, leaving the room a moment to get the items she requested. 

 

Judy’s heart sank and her stomach lurched again.  Vivienne.  What was she supposed to do?  She just got her son back, and now he was...  He died chasing Judy’s dream, not his own.  She convulsed, dry-heaving into the bin again and then curled into a ball, shaking.  She fought to get herself under control.  She felt physical pain through her whole body.  This actually physically hurt!  Her mind raced.  Don’t think about all that stuff at once.  Don’t think about it.  She had slowly regained some composure as Bogo arrived, but had to ask him all the same.

 

“Has Nick’s mother been contacted?” Judy asked.  She then rubbed her head.  What time was it, even?  “How long was I out?” she asked. 

 

Bogo handed Judy the steno pad and a simple plastic pen.  He spoke softly again. “Yes, she was not… fit to travel today but said she would be here tomorrow.”  Judy whimpered but held herself together.  She could not imagine what it was like for her; even as bad as it she herself was taking it.  Bogo continued.  “You were out about four hours.  Wolfard, in the panic after, shot you with a medium.  He didn’t have time to switch cartridges.  He was afraid you’d… go over the edge.  Do not hold this against him, Hopps.  I’d have done the same.  Anyway, that’s why you were in the hospital.  I am going to check up on the other injured officers, but I will be back around, I will let you write your report.”  Judy stared at the blank paper, her eyes burning and head aching from crying and being sick.  She inhaled deeply and sighed.  “Officer Hopps?” Bogo said softly. Judy looked up.  “Please understand that all your friends and family are going to be there for you with this, and if you need someone to talk to, any of them, including me, will be there for you.”  Judy gritted her teeth and nodded.  _Everyone except Nick_ , she could not help but think it.  Bogo left and she busied herself with writing the report.

 

She needed everyone to know what he did.  He wanted the entire city to know he figured out what was going to happen and he helped stop it.  He needed them to know he was brave and compassionate and smart.  The report didn’t need embellishing, it was all right there in the reality of what happened.  He saved the mammals in the park.  He saved other officers, and then he died saving a little girl.  That is who Nick was.  If anyone in the city dared to speak ill of him after that, it would be completely inexcusable.

 

She had just finished writing her report when there was a tap on her door.  “Come in.” Judy said in as strong a voice as she could muster.  Her throat still burned.  She had expected it was the chief, having returned for the report.  She would not have expected who it actually was.  “Skye?”  Judy looked up at the white vixen.  She had a small bandage on her head but looked otherwise unharmed.  She had obviously been crying too, and immediately started again seeing Judy sitting there.  Judy hopped down off the bed and moved over to the fox, embracing her. 

 

She could not help but notice that her scent was not like Nick’s.  It was a little pungent and earthy, not bad really, but not the magical wildflower scent of her partner.  She folded her ears back and had to keep from falling to her knees as Skye suddenly crumpled to her own knees on the hospital room floor.  Not much was said for a while as the vixen tried to get herself together, but she told Judy after a bit what happened after she and Nick left.  The police brought netting out of evidence that had been used in an illegal fishing operation and used that to entangle the enraged elephants.  They staked the netting down with some effort and the tranq-buster wore off over time in such large bodies, making it so that the pair could be sedated.  Judy asked Skye about her car and the fox began to cry again, telling Judy not to worry about it.  That was something that could be replaced. 

 

Judy then realized something with a start, and sat up again.  “Skye, is any of this on the news yet?” 

 

“Y-yes, that’s how I knew about N-Nick,” the vixen sputtered.

 

Judy pulled her ears back, not looking forward to the next thing.  “I have to get a phone, I don’t know where mine is.  I have to call my parents.”  Skye gasped and nodded frantically, handing Judy her own cell phone.

 

Judy was not surprised that they answered on the first ring, even from an unknown number.  It was Bonnie on the other end, and she sounded devastated.  She was happy to hear from her daughter as the news had said nothing of Judy’s condition.  They were describing a literal war in the park.  The news had stated that Nicholas Wilde had been killed and several other officers were injured with no word on the extent of their injuries.  Bonnie made it clear that she and Stu and possibly others would be coming to the city to help Judy and would not take no for an answer.  Judy didn’t have it in her to refuse.  After comforting her family with the fact that she was not among the casualties she gave Skye her phone back.  The fox let Judy know that if she needed anything, she could certainly call her.  She was right there in the building.  Skye told her not to worry about anything for the time being.  Judy crawled back on her bed, knowing she didn’t need it, but not really wanting to do anything else.  She waited for the chief to come get the report so at least the city would know what she… what everyone… had lost.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next three days were a numbing and terrible blur to Judy.  Bogo would not let her come back to work to help with the now short-staffed department.  He insisted that she speak to Dr. Carlisle, but Judy avoided that, instead insisting that Carlisle provide that attention to Nick’s mom who she said did not have ZPD training in dealing with this kind of thing.

 

Vivienne visited for a day.  She was quiet and numb, she spent a lot of time holding Judy.  She wanted more than anything for the bunny not to blame herself for what happened.  Judy didn’t blame herself though.  Judy very openly blamed the insane buck who brought them down there, and she had already killed that guy as hard as she possibly could.  Judy expected a speech from Vivienne about the other mammal’s death being a sad thing too, but the speech never came.  There was silent agreement that no tears were being shed for Darmaw.  Not there.

 

Finnick had been there one evening and wiped out the alcohol supply in aggressive fashion.  He claimed he was not that close to Nick after the first few drinks, but on the last few vowed to turn his own life around to honor his best friend and partner and told Judy he’d take care of her if he could, for Nick, before passing out for several hours then wandering to go sleep and be hungover somewhere else.

 

Judy’s bravado aside, she was not dealing with it well herself initially.  She couldn’t sleep, she wasn’t eating, she was angry and hurt and her world made no sense.  If she had been alone, she thought, it would have been much worse.  Her parents were staying with her in the apartment however and it made it so that it didn’t feel empty.  After the third day the shock wore off and she was able to focus more on public reaction to what happened.  The fourth and fifth days were busy with her providing limited interviews and writing articles explaining how Nick tried to help the community.  She finally saw Dr. Carlisle, she was surprised to discover was a skunk, and they talked about coping with loss and really went over a lot of the things Judy already knew about.  She’d lost one of her grandparents already and took it hard as a kit, so she’d had some of these conversations before.  The doctor was patient with Judy's rambling which she did when she wanted to talk about absolutely anything else that was not actively causing her misery.

 

A lot of folks wanted Judy to spend more time in the public eye given that she was regarded as a hero for what she did, but she avoided the cameras herself, preferring radio interviews if she did any, she didn’t want to be called a hero, she didn’t want to be praised she wanted all of that to be placed upon her partner.

 

As a result of her focus being to ensure that Nick was to be remembered for the good that he did, not the previous twenty years of hustling, she began to recover a bit of her spirit and her energy.  She hung out with Skye and with her parents, and even Jack dropped by briefly to offer his sympathy and support.  Judy insisted privately to Jack that Skye had been trying very hard to take care of her, and that Jack should take her somewhere fun for a bit.  Judy’s life was not a lot of fun at present.  Jack agreed to this and took a confused Skye out of the apartment and Judy’s parents went to get something to eat and then do some grocery shopping to restock the fridge.  They had been there nearly a week and despite Judy assuring them they could go back, she was grateful that she had not had to spend this week alone.

 

With some time to relax in the quiet, Judy plopped down on the couch.  No sooner had she done so than her phone rang.  She picked it up and tilted her head. 

 

“Hey Sammie,” she answered as calmly as she could.  She knew exactly why this particular sister _would_ call her, but was surprised that it had taken this long.  If any one of her family should have been eager to offer support and comfort, it was the trained counselor.  But she’d been silent.  Judy felt like she’d talked to every one of her immediate family except this one twice now.  “What’s up?”  Judy heard sniffling on the other end.  She was crying.  Surely she had not _just_ found out about it.

 

“I messed up,” the bunny on other end of the line whimpered. 

 

“What are you talking about?” Judy asked.

 

“Judy, I know you’ll be mad, you have every right to be, but I can’t just… not tell you.  Not now.  I have to talk about it.  I have to tell you what I did.”  Judy sat up, her heart sinking.

 

“What did you do, Sammie?” Judy asked in a near whisper.  Was Sammie in trouble?  Judy didn’t think she could deal with that very well that moment.

 

Sammie whimpered on the other end.  “The whole Security Attachment Syndrome thing, Judy.  I made it up.  I’m sorry.  I made it up, it’s not real.”  Judy furrowed her brow and laid back her ears.  Really?  That’s why it took Sammie almost a week to call?

 

“No shit, Sammie.” Judy snapped on her end.  “I figured that out after you tried to pass it off as lecture material.  I’m a cop, not a teen runaway, but I _would_ like to know _why_ you told me that crap.  It messed with my head for a while.”

 

Sammie sputtered and cried on the other end.  “I told you I dated a fox once, right?  I mean, I told you about that, right?”  Judy sighed and nodded, then said yes, realizing that she couldn’t be seen nodding on the phone.  Sammie continued, “I told you how I met him, right?  He got arrested and we teased back and forth and hit it off, but right when things started to get serious between us…” she sniffled.

 

“He got arrested again, yeah.” Judy had no idea what this had to do with her.

 

“Nick said he committed tax fraud.  I…  I felt like if he could go back to the easier life, the one you took him away from and it would hurt you so bad.  I just…”  Judy narrowed her eyes.

 

“What?!” she cried into the phone.  “Are you freaking serious?  You just decided Nick would hurt me because your fox hurt _you_ , what the heck kind of psychology is that, Sammie?!”  Judy was yelling at that point. 

 

“Bad psychology!  Bad!” Sammie cried back.  “I’ve been so scared to talk about it after the incident.  Judy, I messed things up!  There was nothing wrong with how you felt.  It was normal attachment, not security attachment.”

 

“I know that!” Judy exclaimed, tears welling up though she wasn’t sure why.  “I know how I felt about him, I don’t need you or anyone else putting me on a couch and explaining it!  Sammie I hate being lied to, especially by or about someone I care about.  Why are you even telling me about this now, what good is it?”

 

“I’m sorry Judy,” sobbed Sammie, “I just didn’t want you to keep thinking something was wrong with you, especially now with how you must feel with him being gone!  I wanted you to be able to tell yourself the real reason it hurts so much and not think you were messed up because of what I said.”

 

“The real reason it hurts?!” Judy yelled, “You mean because I love him?!”  The words leaving Judy’s mouth seemed to form into a blade the instant they were spoken and plunged right into her heart.  Judy just curled around her phone and sobbed.  Why had she avoided even saying it to herself?  She’d known right before it happened.  Sure there was nothing she could have done about it even if she admitted it, but why wouldn’t she even say it to herself?  She wasn’t ashamed of Nick.  She wasn’t afraid of what society thought, losing her job, causing her family to be shocked or angry.  She was afraid if he found out she might lose him.  But she already lost him and nothing could stop her from saying it now.  She loved him.  All the words she used to dance around it, reasons she made up to explain how he made her feel were cast out and she let herself embrace what she really had, and had lost. 

 

Sammie did not hang up the phone, she cried too on her end.  After a while, Judy and her sister talked.  Sammie skillfully led the conversation away from the loss itself, and got Judy to talk more about what she remembered.  Judy told Sammie in more detail about the trick Nick pulled with Finnick.  She then told Sammie the untold story of why the getting had been earned, having the white doe in hysterics.  She told her about the tuna salad and subsequently the tuna sandwich, getting more laughter.  She told her about all the funny, happy memories and felt better and better for it.  By the time she hung up the phone, she felt a little bit better.  Hurt… wounded… but better.

 

Then her phone rang again.  She picked it up.  It was Vivienne.  Judy answered immediately.  “Hey, Viv… How’re you doing?”  Judy’s voice was soft and sympathetic.  She could only hope that Nick’s mom was starting to heal, at least a little.

 

Vivienne spoke softly.  “Judy, the… the funeral is tomorrow.  I wanted… to be the one to tell you.”  The words slammed into the bunny like ZMT Bus number 6231.

 

“What?  Tomorrow?” Judy sat up shakily.  The idea of a funeral made this so much more real and drug Judy right back into the darkness.  Tears rolled down her cheeks.  How could she even have any left?  “But… Tomorrow?  We haven’t even found him yet!”  Judy felt a prickling of anger.

 

Vivienne’s voice remained soft.  “Judy they’ve stopped looking.  They’ve invested hundreds of hours among so many mammals to find him-“

 

Judy cut her off.  “Then invest ten more!  Oh my god, Vivienne how could they just stop looking?!” 

 

“Judy, I’m sorry, I really am, I know how much this is hurting you, but it just can’t be like this forever.  He could be in the ocean by now, Judy, there’s… nothing we can really do about it.  But we can let him rest.  And we have each other.  We will be strong.  For Nick.  Okay?”  She asked.

 

“N… No.” Judy said, her voice hard.  “It’s not okay!  I am not going to just… watch them pile dirt on an empty box and say goodbye to that!  To what… a picture of him?  A neatly folded uniform?  I… I won’t do it!”  She was in near panic mode.  How could they just give up after less than a week?  They were just going to leave him out there to be alone under the water, all hung up on debris or something?  To be eaten by crustaceans and pulled apart by the freezing currents, forgotten?  She wouldn’t allow it!  She apologized to Nick’s mom, in tears, and Vivienne told Judy where he funeral would be, but said she would not be angry if Judy was still too hurt to go, there would be other opportunities to meet up and say goodbye to her son when she was ready.  Vivienne, it seemed, understood. 

 

Judy immediately called Bogo on his emergency line.  He was patient with her, not scolding her for calling him on that, but was firm in the decision to stop looking.  Another officer had been injured during the search, albeit not too severely, and the amount of time and the thoroughness of the search suggested that Nick may not even be in the city anymore.  They had stopped the flow of water and drained the melt-way completely.  The fox was nowhere to be found, and the fact that Darmaw’s body had made it to the river suggested that Nick could certainly have gone further than that and somehow been missed. 

 

Judy sat there for what felt like an hour.  She had been crying.  She knocked stuff over.  She cleaned it up.  She knocked it over again.  She had acted childish and shameful; she had said terrible things about her boss, the city, even cursed the mother of the child that had been snatched for not taking care of the safety of her own pup.  Judy could not remember ever feeling so sick with rage.  She had to leave.  She had to move.  She had to do something or she would tear Nick’s apartment apart.  She reached into her duffle and grabbed his last gift to her.  The coin.  She would take it for luck as she walked around and tried to think hard of some kind of solution, some way this could be made better.

 

The walk provided little insight, but being around other mammals as they walked around the city being perfectly normal as if nothing was missing and nothing was wrong made her feel less alone, if still angry.  She saw a television in the train terminal where they were talking about Darmaw.  His identity had been determined and he was being investigated.  Eleven other members of his self-proclaimed thieves’ guild had been arrested and some were looking at never seeing the light of day again over the conspiracy.  Most, it was found, were patently unaware of the deer’s plans.  Several of them had turned themselves in to try to give information about where more Nighthowlers might be found, and a host of other things to help the police with their investigation in exchange for some kind of leniency.  The marked shirts of the Alabaster paw were found in several places in the city, torn, some even burned.  No one wanted their name to be attached to the attack of a child and death of the one who saved her.  The Alabaster Paw was gone.

 

Judy continued on her walk, and soon was startled to find that her feet had taken her right to the wide brass vent pipe that she and Nick had followed Darmaw into.  She might have missed that she was walking past it, but there were flowers placed along the wall around it.  She looked hatefully at the pipe.  It had been boarded up to prevent folks from going in while they searched for Wilde.  Judy kicked the boards.  She kicked them again.  And again, and again, and again, finally screaming at them.  She turned expecting to see that her shameful and almost insane behavior had drawn a crowd for her to have to apologize to, but instead, she saw a familiar face, just one, all alone staring sadly back at her.

 

“Duke Wezzleton?” she asked with a hitch in her voice, having barely contained her crying from both rage and pain from kicking the boards.

 

“Weasleton.”  His correction was delivered softly, his hands in his pockets.  “I thought if I waited around you’d show up here.”

 

“I’m on paid leave right now, Weasleton, can someone else arrest you today?” Judy asked sadly in a distant voice.  Duke laughed at that a bit and walked up to Judy.

 

“Nah, I only get arrested by the best.  So it’ll wait till you’se can get back in uniform.  I was lookin’ for you though.”  He chewed the toothpick in his mouth.  It was coated in cinnamon oil, Judy could tell from there.

 

“What did you need me for?” Judy asked, the intrigue of it helping her regain control. 

 

“I heard they stopped lookin’ for your partner.”  His words put her right back into a hateful mood.  Duke was not popular enough to be safe around Judy in that mood so she turned to walk away.  If he was there to actually rub _that_ in her face there would be another body no one could ever find.

 

“Wait, hold up!”  He scampered after her, his long ropey form moving fluidly.  “Look, it’s about Wilde!  They gave up, but I know another place to look they ain’t been lookin’!”  Judy froze in her tracks.

 

“What?” she asked bluntly. 

 

“He might be in Hell’s Cauldron.” Duke said with nod, seeming unhappy to say it.  Judy narrowed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and then just lost control.  She grabbed the weasel by his middle and slammed him up against the wall forcefully, making him squeak in a manner completely uncharacteristic to his voice.

 

Judy shouted, “What the hell makes you think you can say something like that in front of me?!” she yelled.  Weasleton struggled a little, then shook his head, coughing, winded a bit. 

 

“No!  Wait!” he croaked, “It’s a place!  It’s an actual place!”  Judy blinked at that and let him down gently.

 

“S… Sorry, I thought you were trying to say…“  She looked down, ashamed. 

 

Weasleton brushed himself off, straightening up his two dollar stained white tank top.  “Damn, Flopsy, lay off the gym.  Okay, so look here, I used ta work in the public works department, you follow?”  Judy nodded, but was not following.  She wanted to know what Duke knew about Nick.  He continued.  “I know all about the water system, us tube-like mammals get those jobs real easy.  It’s hard, dirty work so I found an easier way to make money; I just gotta run from you guys occasionally.”  He indicated Judy, but of course meant the law.  “Anyhow, given that I was quite the experienced worker in my less inventive money-making days, I know that under this point, called Service 21B, there’s a feeder pump for Hell’s Cauldron.”  Judy flattened her ears, starting to follow, but hating that that conversation seemed to meander.  Duke seemed to like to talk.  He of course continued.  “Now, that place, and I promise again, that’s what it’s called, takes water from the melt-way where it’s not had a chance to get mixed up with a bunch of debris from the runoff pipes and it takes it lightning quick down low, way low to a chamber.”  Duke took the toothpick out of his mouth, using it to kind of gesture about the places he was talking about.  “That chamber has this big cement bowl in it.  That acts as a fresh-water reservoir and all around it are furnaces that are fed gas by the blue pumps that you see on the windward side of most commercial buildings in Zootopia.” 

 

“The methane scrubbers.”  Judy knew what they were for.  With the number of ungulates in Zootopia it was an important utility.  “The methane is used to run the furnaces that both boil the water for steam that raises the humidity in the Rainforest district, and heats and dries Sahara Square.”  She knew all about it, that was grade-school level trivia even in Bunnyburrow.  The District Environmental Control or DEC system was the most complex thing ever built and was considered a wonder of the modern world.  A lot of the early strife in Zootopia came down to animals not being comfortable and this engineering master-work was the grand solution.

 

Duke nodded at that.  “So you got it then… That’s what it’s called, at least, that part of it.  I know where it is, but here’s the trick…”  Judy sighed.  Of course there was a trick.  “It’s sealed.  The system’s too important to just let anyone walk in there and look around, it would take the city council to deliberate on it, the mayor to sign it to be opened, and even then it takes special equipment to get in there.  It’s a very self-contained, self-sufficient system and the furnaces are made to be pulled upward to be serviced, no one ever needs to actually go down there.  And there’s a reason.  It’s called hell because inside there it’s the opposite of pleasant.  It’s –“

 

“Unnnpleasant, yeah I get it.” Judy said.  “So I doubt the city council’s gonna spend the money and authorize me to go in there and look for a fox after they already agreed to stop looking for him.”  She sighed sadly.  Maybe she could have folks sign a petition, the outpouring of support for Nick from the city had been a beautiful thing.

 

“I know another way in.” Duke stated in a whisper, a scandalous smile on his pointy mustelid face. 

 

Judy perked up, gasping a little.  “How.  Tell me.  I know this seems pointless, but I have to find him.  I just have to.”  She felt that anxious pain bubble inside her and tried to quell it with the knowledge that she might actually be doing something instead of sitting around feeling bad about everything.  Duke sighed a bit.

 

“Okay, so there’s an access tunnel that runs alongside what was originally designed ta be the access entrance to it before they could just pull the furnaces up.  There’s just a concrete wall and about six feet of dirt between that tunnel and what _was_ the access tunnel that got sealed off.  It won’t be a safe place to be, I am warning you now; I sure as hell ain’t goin’ in there.  But you find someone with the right tools to get through that wall and you can go and get your partner.  I would maybe pretend you found him somewhere else though.  City ain’t gonna take to kindly to you bein’ in there.  Instant trespass violation.  Huge fines, maybe even jail time.  It’s a big deal.”  Judy’s mind was racing.  Yes, it was against the law, but she knew Bogo would not open up that place on a bootlegger’s hunch to retrieve someone who wasn’t going to be magically brought back to life by being found.  Duke spoke again, a bit softer.  “No one in their right mind would be crazy enough to want to go into that dark, awful, dangerous place and risk those kinds of fines and all.  Naturally, knowin’ this, I brought you dis map.”  He handed the small printed, folded piece of paper to Judy.  It was smudgy from being done on a cheap inkjet printer, but it was obviously the real thing.  The location she needed to be was carefully plotted out and marked on the map. 

 

Judy inhaled deeply as she looked at this new direction.  She was taking a big risk for little reward, but it was the little thing she needed.  She was not willing to leave Nick down there and never truly say goodbye to him.  She looked back up at Duke, pondering a forbidden thought.  “Duke…  Do you think it’s… even remotely possible Nick survived if he’s down there?”  She knew better than to hope that, but she had to ask. 

 

“What?  Oh good lord no.”  He shook his head rapidly.  “That’s a mile of pipe, fuzz.  He’d have ta hold his breath for like… stupid long, if he even survived the fall from that height by the wall.  Then the pipe empties directly over the cauldron and that’s another fifty, sixty foot drop into what’s usually only three foot deep water.  Sorry, Judy he was definitely foxy flotsam before he ever made it there.  Err… If you’ll pardon my expression.”  He took a big step back lest the bunny attack him again.  Judy sighed softly.  She didn’t have it in her to pick him up again.  She looked back at the weasel.

 

“Why are you doing this?  Aren’t you glad there’s one less of us chasing you around?”  Judy had to know why he was willing to share this with her.  It seemed so pointless for him.

 

Duke looked away a moment, hands back in his pocket, something Judy learned was defensive.  “Look Flopsy…”  He put the toothpick back in his mouth.  ‘I’m not goin’ all soft or nuttin’ I jist think it ain’t right, they stopped lookin’ for him and he just gotta stay down there.  I know what that place is like.  Nick ain’t never been a saint, but he don’t belong down there neither.  If you get caught down there, don’t say my name.  I’ll deny it and claim harassment.”  With that, Duke turned and left.  Judy looked down at the map again.  She sucked in another deep breath.  She could be throwing her job away doing something like this.  She folded the map up again.  She had to come up with a plan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Her mom and dad were back by the time she got back to the apartment, and she explained to them that she needed to go for a walk to clear her head, and explained that things would be better soon.  They were worried about her, but calmed down as she took on a bit more normal attitude, joking around with them and talking about her family some as they had a small dinner together.  Judy was still not very hungry.  She’d lost weight in a week, but she would bounce back.  She was strong.  She would be a lot stronger after tomorrow, she felt.  Even if she didn’t find her partner, she would know she tried.  She explained to her parents that she was tired from the walk and from a heartfelt chat with Sammie but she didn’t share what it was about and they didn’t pry.

 

Judy rested in her spot on Nick’s couch, sucking in calmly the lingering scent of him.  How long would it last until it too was just a memory?  How long could Judy even stay in this apartment that wasn’t in her name?  She had so much that she needed to do to start the next chapter of her life and she hadn’t even started.  After tomorrow, she thought to herself.  I can start after tomorrow.  She watched her phone, monitoring the time.  Her parents were asleep of course, they were tired from the emotional strain of this, and Judy knew they would be heading home soon.  She was so much better than she was right after it happened.  They were right to worry about her and try to prevent as much damage as possible with the way she initially took it.  They were good parents.  She thought about how much she loved them, and was glad Nick had a chance to meet her special family, and that she got to meet his.

 

Finally, midnight arrived, and she got up, exiting her apartment.  She got onto the elevator and took it down several floors, then got off and walked quietly to the end of the hall.  She wore a dark hoodie and black denim pants.  She wore fingerless gloves that she often used at the gym, broken in and soft at the palms.  She held a backpack full of gear.  Judy stopped in front of the door and sighed.  The bunny reached up and taptaptapped on it.

 

Skye opened the door, looking at Judy curiously.  Judy nodded to Finnick who was sitting on the cracked vinyl-upholstered couch in an apartment which was clean but a little cluttered with bits of machinery, tools, mechanical manuals and do it yourself magazines.  It really was how Judy expected the fox’s apartment to look.

 

Finnick finally spoke in his deep voice.  “You called this meeting, Judy, it’s midnight and here we all are.  What’s this about?”  Skye nodded in affirmation with Finnick.  She was ready to know as well.

 

Judy answered with a tone of grim determination in her voice.  “I need your help doing something incredibly stupid.”

 

Finnick gave a very wide grin. “I’m already in.”


	24. Seeker

**Guardian Blue: Season One**

Episode 24: Seeker

 

 

 

Judy took her paws off of her ears where they had been pinned down and securely cupped tightly to her head.  The dust and smoke cleared and she found herself looking at a hole in the wall.  Yeah, if the city found this, there would be hell to pay.  Skye said patching it up would not be a big deal, and based on the condition of this tunnel no one spent much time down here.  They were literally a thousand feet beneath the city.  Skye had lugged a portable generator down while Judy and Finnick carried the electric jack-hammer.  It wasn’t very large or powerful but they were not opening up an entire street they just needed a hole big enough for a fox to crawl through.  That exact opening was what they were looking at as the dust cleared.

 

“Alright… Shovels then?” Judy asked.  She looked at her phone.  It was almost four in the morning.  The heavy work had been done, and she knew the other two, like her, had not slept.  They were getting very tired.  No one complained, however.  When Judy told her friends what she was trying to do, both mammals wholeheartedly supported her.  They did even though she had made sure to tell them what the possible punishment was if they were discovered.  The deal was that they made the hole and that’s all they had to do.  The real risk was beyond it, and Judy would not allow either of them to take that risk.  They were to pack up the tools, all of it ‘borrowed’ from Skye’s uncle’s shop, where she had fostered her mechanical inclinations, and head back home.  Finnick’s primary role had been transportation, since Judy lacked a car and Skye’s had been totaled.  Finnick insisted on coming down to help, however.  He had been particularly useful in removing the debris as they cut through the wall.  Then he was even more helpful in pushing away the dirt as Judy took a turn at the shovel.  She got about two feet in and gave the task to Skye.

 

Skye was deceptively strong when it came to unyielding upper body endurance.  Running wasn’t her thing, but she could use her arms and back efficiently enough.  She made it another two feet in half the time.  All were hot, tired, and uncomfortable, but no one complained.  Judy replaced the batteries in her head-lamp as it was growing dim.  She took the spares out of her backpack. 

 

Her pack included water, rope, some hooks in case she needed to rappel into the ‘cauldron’ and two pulleys in case she needed to haul something slightly heavier than her out.  Skye took some time to explain the mechanics of that in a way Judy understood, and for that she was grateful.  Most of the backpack was, however, filled with a rolled up black sealable bag.  As dark as it felt carrying it, it was acyually the bunny's best case scenario.  She looked at it a moment and sighed again, hoping that all of this was not just a pointless career ending mistake.  There was a chance he wasn’t there.  There was a damned good chance that he really was just lost.  But she couldn’t just... know about this and still not try. 

 

“You’re up Finnick!” Skye handed the little fox the shovel.  The spade itself was almost as tall as him.  He looked incredulously at Skye.  The white vixen smirked at him.  In the past few hours they had become pals too.  Judy felt better that folks were brought together by Nick’s passing, not pulled apart.  She still felt deep regret for the hurt she knew would be done to Vivienne when she didn’t show up for the funeral.  Perhaps if this worked she’d have a chance to make that up to her and really say goodbye at the mother fox's side.

 

Judy took the shovel again, despite her sore shoulder, and in only a couple of minutes she hit the end of their dig.  She almost fell through the hole as the spade cut through.  Pushing their way the rest of the way into the other tunnel was easy, and Skye got the hole widened enough in less than half an hour.  Finally, they stopped and the vixen began echaustedly gathering the tools.  Judy looked back to her friends, dusting off her somewhat sore paws.  Digging was not easy, but it was done.

 

Judy took a deep breath.  “Remember... no matter what, seal this back up in a couple of days, I want to make sure that none of us get in trouble over this if possible.  There’s no going back for me, but as far as I am concerned, neither of you were ever involved, alright?”  She leaned down and hugged Finnick.  He hugged back far tighter than his little frame made it seem he could.  She repeated this with Skye.  Her foxy scent again was so different from Nick’s.  Judy flattened her ears and looked at them a moment.

 

Skye spoke up after a little while.  “Judy, you said you were told this place was dangerous.  I know you use danger as toothpaste, but please be careful.  I want my bunny neighbor back, alright?”  Judy nodded to her.

 

Finnick took his turn, “Find him, bring him back, and never blame yourself.”  Judy looked sadly at the smaller canid and leaned down to his level.

 

“I want to not blame myself, but part of me knows he became a cop because of me.  It’s not going to be easy Finnick.  We were chasing my dream, not his.”  She sighed.

 

Finnick laughed a bit, causing Judy to look back up.  “You know, I said the very same thing to him early on, right after he got back from the academy.  You know what that goofy thing said?”  Judy shook her head.  Of course she didn’t.  “He said he already got his dream when he met you.  Someone believed in him.  Someone was there with him that he ain’t never had to prove himself to.  He lived his dream every day running around with you.  Don’t think you got your dream and he didn’t, Judy.  Nick got his.”  Judy was completely shocked by the words that came from Finnick, and she might have been able to remain stoic if Skye hadn’t started crying first.  Judy hugged the white vixen tightly and allowed herself a few more tears before forcing herself to let go.  Judy then turned and crawled through the hole, putting her headlamp on and peering into the darkness as she heard Skye and Finnick gathering the tools and such.  It might take a couple of trips to get it all back in the van but they were fine with that. 

 

The tunnel Judy was in was long and a little bit steamy and warm compared to the one she just came from.  She found that slippery mold clung to the walls and the floor and with a sense of dread she was reminded of every movie where some poor mammal found itself inside of a monster’s mouth.  For smaller mammals this was a pretty stereotypical theme for an unpleasant twist, usually right at the beginning of a horror movie.  It didn’t smell great either, but she would endure it.  Duke had been right.  This was UN-pleasant.  After a while Judy saw a red glow ahead and with about two or three more minutes of careful walking of slippery slim-mold-covered stone floor she emerged into something that made her consider nearly every dark movie she’d seen or story she’d read. 

 

The chamber was the size of hockey rink, though completely round.  It matched the map and just based on description Judy knew she was in the right place.  It looked like any description of Hell she could think of.  Around the edge of this room were glowing rectangular grates big enough for her to walk into, looking like unending rows of glowing red ovens.  The whooshing sound of constant flames gave a soft but unsettling din to this place.  The temperature was livable but very uncomfortable.  The scent was acrid and foul, though Judy could not place exactly what it was.  She hoped it was not what she thought it was, but she had prepared herself for that. 

 

Judy walked out along a wooden scaffold toward a metal ladder that lead down to her target.  In the center of this mammoth room was a dark circle.  It was deep, she could not really see the bottom in the pale orange-red light, and her head-lamp didn’t go far enough to see, but down there was where she would search for her partner, the last place she _could_ look for him. 

 

Judy looked up and could see the wide dark pipe that Nick would have traveled down.  It looked forbidding and ugly with a stream of what looked like roots or something at first, but upon more meticulous inspection turned out to be some kind of cables that must have been swept into the water at some point in the long past with more of that slimy stuff growing on them which made them look like rot and filth.  Judy was careful not to slip on the stuff that coated the wooden catwalk and reached the ladder.  It was about thirty feet or so down but fortunately it was made with smaller mammals in mind.  This was perhaps due to the fact that smaller mammals would have been more likely to be sent down her to service the furnaces long ago.  Judy began to descend but no sooner was she about four or five rungs down than she heard a crack.  The wood on the scaffold where the ladder was attached had just split.

 

“Yes, of course.” Judy said with a growl.  The ladder began to fall backwards and Judy decided to not be at the fastest moving point when it hit.  She put her hands on either side and slid down as fast as she could, jumping off at about the half-way point backwards, springing in such a way that it threw her clear of the ladder.  She fell onto her shoulder hard.  The same shoulder she wrenched a few days earlier chasing Darmaw, the same one that got hit by the bus earlier than that.  Judy grunted in agony, the shock of pain causing her to almost scream but no sound came out because she had also winded herself in the process.  The ladder crashed loudly off to the side of her.  She lay there in pain and slight shock for a while. 

 

Panting, Judy remained on her back as it occurred to her that she may not even be able to get out now.  Surely if she never showed up again Skye and Finnick would come to check on her.  She would be waiting in this terrible place a long time though, at least a day.  She slowly sat up, her shoulder hurting worse than it had even after the bus thing, her arm barely useable. 

 

“What did my left shoulder do to you, universe?!” she whimpered, gripping it.  She patted her front right pocket.  Her GOT YOU coin was there but she was unimpressed with its ability to provide continuing luck like she had running into Duke.  She winced as she got up, and then carefully moved toward the edge of the large cement bowl.  She was slow and steady, figuring if her luck held out she’s just fall right on in.  As she reached the edge she smelled the unmistakable scent of rotting flesh.  She’d rarely ever experienced that scent but she knew it enough.  She sighed softly, and took the bag out of her backpack.  She unrolled it and unzipped it.  This was going to be the most awful thing she would ever do, she promised herself.  She then realized that getting back out of the pit would be nearly impossible with an injured shoulder.  There was no way she could hoist herself back up the rope.  She then slapped her forehead.

 

Now she had a ladder.  It might not help her get out of this place, but it would get her up and down there.  She tried to pick up the ladder, finding it to be very heavy on its own, and as she tried to pull it she slipped backwards on the slimy disgusting mold stuff.  Onto her shoulder.  The tirade of shouted obscenities was literally every foul thing she had ever heard linked together like a child’s paper craft chain.  She cried softly, laying on her back and trying to recover.  As her breathing slowed she heard a weird banging.  She slowly sat up and listened to it.  Had that sound been there before?

 

_Clang clang clang clang clang_

 

It went on for a while and stopped.  Judy’s heart sped up and suddenly she couldn’t feel her shoulder at all.  Was someone down there?  She shook her head.  No.  She could not let herself even consider it.  She couldn’t hope for that, what she was about to go find would only devastate her more.  She tried to clear her head as the sound stopped.  Then it started again.

 

_Clang clang clang clang_

 

It was fewer sounds, definitely.  It sounded like metal on metal.  Judy began breathing faster.  No, it couldn’t be.  It was some natural noise in this weird and terrible place.  A flapping valve or something.  Still, she had to be sure.  She just couldn’t help herself.  That part of her that made her who she was wanted to think it and without restraint she called out.

 

“Is someone down there?”  There was an immediately response.

 

_Clangclangclangclangclang!_

 

Judy’s heart raced, she got onto her knees.  It didn’t mean anything.  They were happening at intervals.  It didn’t mean anything.  She had to stop.  She couldn’t do this to herself.  With all the control that years of life preparing to be a police officer provided to her, she tried anyway.

 

“Give me a tune or something so I know it’s not just a mechanical noise!”  She hugged herself, hand on her shoulder, feeling it throb in pain but her adrenalin was compensating.  There was a pause, and then sound.

 

Clang clang-clang-clang-clang…  clang clang!

 

Judy threw both hands to her muzzle, cupping it.  Shave and a haircut.  Tears spilled down her cheeks.  With the nightmare she’d lived for a week knowing she wasn’t dreaming, was this now the dream?  Would she wake up?  She didn’t want it to be a dream.  This had to be real.  She wanted this to be real, but expected to wake up impaled on debris or something from her fall.  She shuffled to the edge of the pit.  Her headlamp had fallen off, she wasn’t even sure of where it was.  She peered into the darkness, able, toward the middle to see rippling water suggesting that something moved down there, it wasn’t mirror still.  She cried softly, quietly a moment, and called down into the pit.

 

“Use two bangs for yes, one bang for no!  Are you trapped in there?”  Judy heard a little bit of sloshing in the water as something moved to be under where her voice was coming from.  The smell was terrible, but she held close to the edge. 

 

_Clang clang_

 

It was right under her.  She whimpered a bit.  It had to be him.  It had to be.  She couldn’t take it at this point if it wasn’t.  She sobbed into the darkness.  “Nick, is that you?”

 

There was a very short pause, but given her question even if the reply might have been immediate it felt like it took years.  But the sound finally rose from below her.

 

_Clang clang!_

 

Judy sputtered, leaning back, sitting on her rump and just sobbing.  He was down there.  He was alive.  She didn’t know how it was possible, but he was there.  It took several moments for her to compose herself, but she fought to do so.  He couldn’t talk.  Why couldn’t he talk?  She  leaned back over the edge.

 

“Are you hurt, Nick?” she asked.

 

_Clang Clang_

 

Yes, he was hurt.  Judy sucked in a hard breath.  How bad?  That wasn’t a yes or no question.  She looked back to the ladder. 

 

“If I lower a ladder down to you, can you come up it and get out?”

 

_Clang_

 

Judy widened her eyes.  Just one clang.  He couldn’t go up a ladder.  He was really hurt.  She whimpered a little with dread.  It was not going to be easy to get out of this place and if he was badly injured they might need to leave quickly.  Judy went ahead and carefully moved the ladder.  She was very slow about it and despite the weight and agony to her shoulder she lowered it to the water.  It was at a lope because of how long it was.  She was terrified at what condition he might be in but every part of her was singing with joy.  This whole impossible scenario was a fantasy she completely denied herself after the incident.  How had he survived falling in here?  How had he lived after falling in, particularly if he were injured?

 

She called down to him.  “I’m gonna come down, is that okay?  I’m gonna try to help you get out.”  There were two clangs in answer.  Judy found her headlamp and turned it off and back on.  Fortunately, the thing actually activated again.  This was encouraging.  She wanted to be able to check her partner’s injuries, and of course, make absolutely sure it was really him.  She nodded and began to go down the ladder.  She found the act very painful but she managed anyway.  Down about fifteen feet she went in, greatly at an angle since the ladder’s extra length would have made it unstable if she left that much of it sticking up over the top of the hole.  She didn’t want any chance of it just falling in.  Judy got to the bottom and looked back where she had been.  Hunched a bit against the edge, knee deep in mud stood a horrible looking creature.  There was no color, just grey and slick, dark streaks hanging from it, it was a thing out of nightmares, but Judy did not recoil. 

 

She saw his eyes.  Squinting from her lights, the color was still there.  Nicks green eyes peered back at her.  Judy did not care how much of a mess he was.  She did not care what he smelled like, or even so much that he was injured in undetermined ways she splashed violently to him and jumped up onto the sticky, fetid mud bank.  Nick grunted a bit, wheezing as Judy squeezed him close, mashing her face into the awful smelling muck spattered all over his chest.

 

And she sobbed.  She ached all over with the force of sobbing borne of refusal to mourn when she should have and joy that could not be compared to anything she’d ever felt.  If it was a dream she hoped to never wake from it, but she’d never had a dream where she could feel so much pain so she finally told herself, as she held him tight, this was real.  Nick’s breathing was raspy and he struggled a bit, so she loosened her grip.  He finally spoke, but it was such a light, brittle voice that she could barely hear him.

 

“Judy I broke my leg… falling down from up over this place.  I caught the lines as I came out but I s-slipped.”  His breathing was labored, possibly from pain.  Judy looked down.  He was not putting any weight on his right leg.  She nodded slowly and thought.  She needed to get help, but she wanted to get him out of this vile soup first.  What was that smell anyway?  She looked over on the muddy bank and finally figured it out.  There were three dead fish there.  They had been mostly eaten.  Her heart seized a bit at how awful these sunless days down here must have been, not knowing that he’d ever be found.  Waiting.  Surviving.  Hoping.  She looked back to Nick, but he wasn’t paying attention.  His eyes were closed and he was leaning against the side of the ‘cauldron’.  He was weak.  Judy gritted her teeth and steeled herself.  Of course he was weak.  He’d been in a literal hell for nearly a week.  Judy then remembered she had another option.  She had the rope.  She could drag him out. 

 

She told her partner to wait there and he gave a snarky smile, pointing at his leg.  Judy whimpered with happiness at seeing his smug side again, even during this, and she went up the ladder, got her rope and formed a loop to put around Nick’s body.  She lowered it down to him.  Nick gave a couple tugs to let Judy know he was ready and she took the other end of the rope and tied it around one of the posts that held up the scaffolding and linked a pulley to that, then holding the loop that remained, she slowly began to pull with all her strength.  Her shoulder screamed in agony, her legs burned, her back ached, but little by little she made progress.

 

After what felt like twenty minutes of crying and swearing in pain and frustration, the rope gave sudden slack and at first Judy felt a jolt of fear that Nick might have slipped out of the loop, but when she looked in the direction of the rope she saw his form laying on the stone floor at the edge of the pit, panting, his chest rising and falling heavily.  Judy watched him a moment, tying off the rope so he could not just slip.  She would not let herself find him just gone again.  She stumbled over to him, dragging her pack over and found that he was crying, albeit quietly. 

 

“Nick, I’m gonna wash you off a little, is that okay?” she asked, holding the bottle of clean water that she brought.

 

“Give…” he wheezed.  Judy looked at him then the water.  Oh.  Of course.  The water she was about to just pour out all over his face.  He wanted clean water to drink.  Silly her.  She opened the bottle and helped him bring it to his lips.  He rolled his tongue into a bit of a tube to funnel the water and she watched his throat contract again and again and again.  He probably avoided drinking that water down there unless it was really, really necessary.  Nick drained half the bottle with gusto and then croaked out softly, “Okay, now.” 

 

Judy carefully and judiciously poured water over his face and ears, the grey muck and mud bleeding away to reveal her fox beneath.  She stroked his face caringly as he rested on his back, panting slowly, seeming barely awake as he was tended by his partner.  He was so weak.  She had to get him help, but she wasn’t sure she could even get out.  She pulled Nick’s head up into her lap.  He was breathing a little slower.

 

“Nick?” Judy called softly, shaking him a little.  He opened his eyes.  Judy turned off her headlamp, realizing that it was too bright for him.  The red glow of the furnaces were all that could be seen.

 

“Where am I?” Nick asked, as if just then connecting with the moment.

 

“Part of the city works, the furnaces that run the DEC.”  Judy stroked his face as she held him in her lap.  “Nick, what happened?  How did you end up here?”  No one thought he was alive.  Even Duke said he’d have been dead. 

 

“I fell.” Nick said in his weak, squeaky voice. 

 

“I know that part.” Judy said. 

 

Nick continued after a moment.  “I went underwater and then something sucked me down deeper.  It went very fast.  I had to struggle to hold my breath.  At some point I caught hold of a pipe that went up and… I almost pulled myself up but the water was too fast.  I got a deep breath from inside that pipe and got swept the rest of the way here.  I caught a rope or cable or something, but it was slippery with that stuff that’s all over down here.  I fell.  The water was shallow and I broke my leg.  I was stuck in there.  I waited for so long.  Then I tried yelling for help.  I yelled so long.”  Judy then put a hand on Nick’s chest.  She understood.  He had nearly lost his voice completely, that’s why he sounded like that.  It was likely painful to talk.

 

“Shh, it’s alright Nick.  I found you.  We…  Nick, we thought you didn’t make it.”  Judy choked back her tears, trying not to start.  He didn’t need that, not right now.  She looked down and realized that Nick was looking away from her.  Had he passed out again?  She leaned forward to shake him, but saw his eyes were open wide.  He was staring at something fearfully.  Judy looked up. 

 

The bag.  Nick saw the bag.

 

He squeaked out his raspy voice.  “Oh god.”  Nick closed his eyes and leaned his head back in Judy’s lap.  “Oh god no.  Judy how could they send _you_ down here for _that_?”  Nick whimpered softly.  Judy cupped a hand over his chest.

 

“They didn’t, Nick!  They didn’t!  I wasn’t even sure you’d be down here.  They...  Oh Nick, they thought you got swept out to sea or something.  They… They weren’t looking anymore.  Nick, right now… or at least soon, they are going to have your funeral.  I couldn’t bear to say goodbye to an empty casket, so I skipped it to keep looking for you.  And…”  Nick looked in complete horror at Judy.  She blinked as she gazed down at him.  What was wrong?

 

“Judy, you are now zero for two on finding dead foxes.  It’s an exciting sport but I think you were better at Munch.” He squeaked, then laughed, and coughed and sputtered some.  Judy thumped Nick’s ear, bursting into tears because he was joking with her.  Now of all times he was joking, and about that!

 

“Stop it Nick!  Stop!  It’s not funny!  I thought you died!  We all thought you died.  Up there they still think you died!  It’s _not_ funny!”  Nick threw his arms around Judy suddenly as she sobbed heavily. 

 

“Shh, I’m sorry, Judy.  I’m sorry,” he huffed.  He just held her and she did everything she could not to get sick from the smell.  This was not the Nick smell she was missing.  She finally pulled her head back.  Nick panted for a bit and looked up to Judy.  “Can we go home now?” Judy looked at her partner and then at the scaffolding that had broken and let the ladder fall.  She wasn’t sure how to get out, and even if they did, it was a serious trek back through the bowels of the city to get back above ground.  Judy decided to do one thing at a time.  First, she used the rope and hooks to cast a line up to the scaffold at a point where it looked strong.  She then used the pulleys like Skye had shown her and managed to get the ladder up to the scaffold.  She put on her backpack over one shoulder and then tied the rope around her waist and around Nick’s chest again.

 

Nick had to pull himself up the ladder with one leg in agony and completely useless, but with Judy supporting some of his weight and attached to him to make sure he didn’t fall, even as weak as he was he made it up to the scaffold.  They rested for a while after the arduous task, and Judy gave Nick another full bottle of water.  It was the last one, but she hoped it would be all they needed. 

 

After a bit of rest, Nick and Judy began following the winding corridors and hatches and smaller ladders up through the maintenance tunnels higher and higher but Nick needed to rest more and more frequently, his breathing sounding more raspy, and his pain growing from the little bit that he had to use his leg. 

 

Judy was using the map that Duke had given her to plot a shorter route.  It was too hard on Nick to go up the long way, but the short way meant more ladders.  She considered leaving him at a point she could mark on the map and go get help, but she worried that the help might not get there in time and nothing horrified her more than the thought that he would go in and out of consciousness and find himself alone and, confused, try to go somewhere and get lost.  It would be unforgivable.  She had to get him out.

 

As they went up, it got cooler and cooler, and it felt better to Judy.  Nick, however, seemed to only get sleepy from it.  It was more comfortable and he was so tired.  Judy let him rest and held him close again, peeling off more mud and muck from his fur where it had dried.  She thought about what was going to happen when they got topside.  Everyone would be so confused and surprised.  She would have to tell the chief what happened, where she got him.  She might very well lose her job but what she _didn’t_ lose was going to be far more important to her. 

 

“Okay Nick, it’s not much further, we just need to do a little more.”  Judy shook her partner.  He didn’t move.  She looked down.  “Nick?”  She shook him again.  She pinched his ear.  She tried a rather painful sternum rub.  Nick was out.  He could not keep going.  He was breathing, he was alive, his heart was beating, but he had gone as far as he could.  Judy cried out and held him tight, sobbing renewed.  Not now, not after he’d survived so long and finally been saved! 

 

Grief became anger and grim determination and she grabbed the rope.  She wasn’t going to lose.  Not this time.  She was not going to lose Nick again.  She coiled the rope three times around his chest and then pulled it under his arms, making something of a harness.  She left her pack behind and pulled herself up with an unconscious fox pulled half onto her back.  She cried out in pain from her wrecked shoulder and began to plod, looking at the map.  It was no longer shortcut time, it was desperation time.  She followed the shortest route right to an access hatch that lead to a storm drain system.  She followed that, plodding in agony for nearly half an hour through twists and turns uncertain if she was ever exactly going the right way but taking every opportunity to follow any slope upward that she could find. 

 

Finally she she saw natural light and made a beeline for it.  A manhole cover or something might be her way out and after following this straight track for what felt like a quarter mile she needed it to pay off.  She had checked her partner to ensure he was breathing again and again, always glad to know he was still alive.  She was almost insane by that point from the threat that the next time she checked she would find that all she had was what _used_ to be her best case scenario.  A dead fox instead of an empty box.

 

The pipe where the light came from was very narrow, it was hard to crawl through it, and she had to pull the fox for some distance.  When she arrived at the small shaft of light she cried out with rage.  Betrayal!  It was not a manhole cover; it was literally a broken section of the concrete storm drain pipe that was underneath an asphalt road.  There was just a small crack in the road itself where traffic had pushed it in, making the beginning of a pothole that would eventually ruin someone’s day.  Judy choked out a sob, holding Nick, listening to make sure he was breathing.  He was, but for how long?  She couldn’t drag him all the way back; her own body was nearing its limit.  She lay on her back and kicked the road in anger.  It bowed upward a little, dust falling back into Judy’s face. 

 

She gasped, and then kicked again.  And again.  The road was pushed and packed downward but pushing it upward was threatening to break it open.  She stopped.  She listened for traffic, but the only sounds seemed pretty distant.  Maybe it was a parking lot, or a driveway.  Judy growled and kicked it again with all her might.  A huge chunk of it broke off, which would have delighted her if the five pound chuck of asphalt didn’t fall directly on her head.  Everything seemed to go dark for a few seconds.

 

Judy put her hand on her head, dazed after a few more moments.  It was hot and wet.  She was bleeding.  She looked at her hand, completely coated.  She was bleeding badly.  She cried out in anger.  So stupid!  She was making stupid mistakes and they were both going to die!  She shielded her head with her arms and kicked and kicked and kicked the road and chucks fell but mostly down over her middle more harmlessly.  She kicked all the cardinal directions, making the hole bigger and bigger, fearing a car just going right into it but she felt like there was no other option.  She had to get out.  

 

After what felt like ten or fifteen minutes of this, she pulled Nick close, pushing chunks of the road away from her, and she then pushed her feet out, almost standing on her hands in the tunnel, then braced her knees outside of it and hauled her fox upward.  The pain in her shoulder from bracing it against the concrete floor of the drainpipe while she was kicking the road was beyond all levels of tolerance and she screamed with agony, but funneled that agony into rage.  She was not going to lose him.  He was not going to die below the ground.  He was going to feel sunshine on his fur again! 

 

With a roar of anger and pain and desperation, a primal sound of furious predatory invincibility, she brought Nick up and out, and then fell back onto the street with the fox pulled across her lap.  Teeth bared in pain formed into rage, Judy looked at where they had rejoined the city of Zootopia.  It was a lovely open air market in Sahara Square.  Judy recognized it.  It was not far from the Palm Hotel.  As one would expect for any morning at this market, there were lots of people around.  That was normal.  What was less normal was the screaming.  There was so much screaming.  It took her a moment, growling and shaking from the pain and the exertion that left her barely able to form a conscious thought, to figure out what that was about.

 

These horrified mammals just watched a blood-soaked screaming rabbit burst up through the street with what appeared to be a dead fox.

 

On the plus side, Judy didn’t have to ask anyone to call the cops.  Cell phones were out, people were talking, and she knew someone called it in.  She just waited for help.  No one came anywhere near Judy while she waited but she wasn’t really paying attention to that, she was just watching Nick.  She busied herself with stroking his face, watching his chest rise and fall.  Judy gasped a little as she watched his eyes flutter open. 

 

“Good morning!” she chimed in a chipper voice.  His eyes widened at the blood that was all over his partner’s face.  Judy shushed him as his muzzle opened.  “It’s alright, it just looks bad.”  Honestly she felt woozy and not great at all, but she didn’t want him to worry.  He was conscious again.  She felt so much of her life returning to her as she saw his eyes in the light.  The sound of car doors got Judy’s attention.  Two cruisers had arrived at the same time and Judy recognized the officers.  It was Fangmeyer and Higgins.  The tiger quickly made it to the scene and the hippo more lumbered along.  Fangmeyer nearly fell to his knees when he got close enough to actually see what caused the commotion.  He then scrambled over next to Judy, kneeling down.

 

“Officer Hopps, you, oh my god, you _found_ him?!  I…  We looked and we…”  He then sucked in a breath that sounded like it could cause his lungs to split.  Judy looked up and saw the tiger’s eyes locked on the awake and semi-alert eyes of her partner.  An ambulance pulled up behind the police cruisers as Higgins made it to the scene.  The tiger shouted loudly, “Higgins, get the paramedics here now!  It’s Wilde!  He’s alive!”  The hippo made a sound that Judy didn’t know could be made by something that wasn’t a truck, and he turned and urged the paramedics to hurry up. 

 

The hippo officer mostly took over keeping the crowd back as confusion swept through about what exactly was going on, but Judy found herself and her partner hastily loaded into the ambulance.  Fangmeyer and Higgins eventually stood at the door as the paramedics began checking vitals and preparing the two for a trip to the hospital.  Judy found herself placed on the same stretcher as Nick since they were small enough to be transported that way.  This comforted her immensely.  It would likely not have ended well if they had dared to try to take them in separate ambulances.

 

Finally, the tiger officer looked to the hippo and said with a commanding and serious tone, “Get on your cell, call Chief Bogo on his emergency line.”  Higgins looked blankly at his fellow officer.

 

“I can’t do that, he’s at a funeral!”  His tone suggested how bad an idea interrupting that would be.  Judy widened her eyes at that.  Fangmeyer looked back at Judy and then at Nick, then put his head in his hands.

 

The tiger shouted in obvious exasperation, “Higgins!  Really?!”  The door of the ambulance then slammed shut without Judy getting to see how that resolved itself.  Judy laid her head back on the little somewhat-pillow at the top of the stretcher and she looked at Nick beside her.  He was looking around the ambulance, seeming a little dazed and confused still.

 

“How’s he look?” Judy asked as a leopard paramedic worked on her partner, checking his vitals.  He looked back to Nick and then to Judy and chuckled.

 

“It should comfort you to know he’s better than his aroma would suggest.  We need to get him to the hospital but this is a very, very lucky fox.  My personal opinion, he’ll make it.”  Judy nodded at that, feeling a lot better, and suddenly a wave of extreme exhaustion slammed into her, and she just turned toward the fox a little.  His eyes locked on hers and he smiled.  He was still a bit out of it, but he was happy to see the bunny there close to him.  Judy put her small paw in his larger one and he squeezed it weakly, but obviously.

 

Nick did not take his eyes off Judy as the paramedics checked him out while they headed swiftly to the hospital.  Seeing him there, watching her, close to her, comforted Judy enough that she felt herself relax fully.  She couldn’t stay awake.  It felt like even though she’d slept since the incident, she hadn’t slept the whole time.  With Nick beside her again, sleep hungrily consumed the bunny.


	25. Healing

 

**Guardian Blue: Season One**

Episode 25: Healing

 

 

 

 

There was a game show on TV.  That’s what Judy woke up to.  She shifted a bit, finding herself on a bed.  Her eyes slowly pushed open, seeming wholly unwilling to do so.  The sound of some kind of trivia game was there, and she saw a weird sort of railing to the bed.  In another second or so she recognized it.  Hospital bed.  Judy looked up at the TV with some effort.  The two rodents on the podium were answering questions about ancient wolf pack hierarchy which caused Judy to crack a grin because the contestants obviously knew approximately nothing about wolves and they were mangling it pretty bad.  If she were lupine she bet she’d be pretty appalled.  Judy didn’t know _everything_ , but she knew that the omega’s primary role had not been ‘to be eaten in case of emergencies’.  Judy’s eyes then shot open as the reason she was back in the hospital flooded into her.

 

She tried to sit up and realized she could hardly move.  She recognized that feeling.  Pain killers.  She held up a hand, finding that there was an IV there.  The memories rushed in.  Did it happen?  Did that all happen, or was she dreaming?  She fell off the ladder in Hell’s Cauldron, had she just been found in that place and brought here?  She found her arm was back in a sling, and moved the hand with the IV in it up to touch her head.  Just above her eye she felt a bandage.  It was where the asphalt fell and hit her.  Her heart started pounding faster.  That part was real.  If that part was real then…

 

“Judy?”  The voice was her mother’s.  She looked in the direction it came from.  Bonnie Hopps was standing in front of the chair she’d probably been sitting in.  Judy’s father was beside her.  He had his hat gripped tightly in his paws, eyes locked on hers, suddenly wet with gladness that his daughter was wake.  Judy gave a weak smile to them.  Oh yeah, her parents hadn’t even left Zootopia this time before she put herself in the hospital again.  This was not making it easier for them to relax about her safety in the big city, she was positive.

 

“Hey Mom… Dad…”  Judy’s throat was a little raw.  She’d screamed and yelled a lot during all that, she recalled.  She had a lot of things she wanted to say to her parents.  She wanted to apologize.  She wanted to tell them she loved them and appreciated everything that they had done.  So she prepared to say those things but only the word “Nick…” came out.

 

Bonnie smiled to her daughter and stepped forward, taking Judy’s hand carefully.  She said in a tender tone, “… is doing a lot better than he was yesterday, dear.”  Judy suddenly felt like she was flying and gritted her teeth, trying to fight it off, but tears spilled out anyway, falling down the side of her head to the pillow as she looked up at the ceiling.  Her mother kissed her forehead softly. 

 

Her dad took a turn speaking as she did so.  “Yeah, Jude,” he said in a proud and happy tone, thumbs in the shoulder-straps of his overalls, “He just got upgraded from dead to alive this morning.  It’s a remarkable improvement.”  Bonnie reached back and swiped at her husband.  Judy was okay with it, the jest was well-intended if a bit dry.  She tried to sit up but still couldn’t really move.

 

“You tore some ligaments in your shoulder this time and did some other damage in there,” Bonnie stated.  “That’s what the doctor said.  She has you on a muscle relaxers to keep you from trying to get up.  Natural for bunnies to try to get up she said.” 

 

“Where’s Nick?” Judy asked a bit more coherently, but she wasn’t sure why she even needed to ask it.  He was at the hospital too, she was sure.  But the real reason for her question, she supposed, was that she wanted to see him and he wasn’t there.

 

“He’s in room 235, other end of the hall.”  Bonnie’s answer was not an emotional revelation, it was delivered like a data point, an answer to a trivial question like on the game show, and did not yield what Judy really wanted.  She wanted to run in there and see him.  She couldn’t do that.  She winced a little as she tried again to move.  She would soon though.  She’d get to see him.  She felt another surge of happiness.  She sniffled softly.  It was real.  She saved him.  Her mind started tumbling around that concept.  There were going to be a lot of excited mammals.  There was not likely to be a lot of peace for her.

 

“We were in there a little bit ago.” Stu said softly.  “He’s in rough shape but the doctors said he will be okay.  He’s got a busted leg, so that’s gonna take a while.  Oh, and they won’t let him talk for at least another full day they said, to let his larynx go back to normal.  Otherwise he might end up with a permanent squeak to his voice, they said.  Don’t want to strain it.”  Judy laughed at the idea and laughing caused pain to shoot through her shoulder even with the pain killer.

 

Bonnie spoke again, still considerately softly since they were in a hospital.  “Now that you are awake, your father and I need to return a ton of phone calls.  We had to just turn our phones off, I think the whole tri-burrows tried to reach us at the same time, it was the craziest thing.  You just rest, the doctor will probably come in and check on you in a little while.  Don’t worry about Nick.  He’s gonna be fine.”  She paused a bit, and then smiled lovingly.  “…because of you.”  And with that, the room was empty.  Judy wiped her eyes as best she could.

 

Nick was alive.  She had to keep telling herself it actually happened.  The nightmare felt like a nightmare, but that part had been real too. It was going to take a lot of time to fully get her head around all of it.  She watched the silly game show for a little longer, but decided she might try to watch the news, maybe find out how the city was reacting.  It certainly seemed like it would be newsworthy.  She changed the channel.

 

Judy found that they _were_ talking about it on the news, but they were not going over much of the detail concerning Nick being found.  They still talked more about the things that lead up to the loss of Nick Wilde, and they still even called it that, and made mention only a couple of times that he’d been found alive, and that he had been found by his off duty partner in the deepest part of the DEC.  Judy sighed.  How had they found out where they had come from?  Had Nick given them that information?  That was probably Judy’s job right there.  She didn’t look forward to Bogo’s disappointment on that, but she would never take it back.  Any delay going to get Nick by taking the proper channels might have cost him his life. 

 

Judy heard the clicking of toe-claws running down the hall.  She looked up in time to see another familiar face appear hastily at the door. 

 

Vivienne Wilde.  Judy folded her ears back and looked with wide eyes at the fox.  She was dressed nicely.  She was dressed in black.  She was still wearing the traditional red silk scarf that signified for many predators when a mother lost a child, their own blood there for all to see.  Judy’s heart sank.  Vivienne was dressed for the funeral that the bunny had not bothered to even show up for.  Perhaps this time the vixen could forgive her.   

 

“Hi Viv…”  Judy tried to sit up and found she was actually able to do that finally.  It took work but she propped herself up a bit more.  Vivienne gazed at Judy, unmoving for a moment, and then silent tears traced twin lines down the red fur of her cheeks.  She lowered her head and inhaled deeply, using the scarf to wipe them away.  “Weird day, huh?” Judy added.  The mother fox snapped her head back up, her face pained and she bolted forward, putting her arms carefully (thankfully) around the bunny.

 

“Nothing… I can say… nothing I can give or do… Judy you can’t know.  You won’t ever be…”  Vivienne just gave up talking for a moment and quietly cried, holding Judy as she sat on the edge of the bed.  While the bunny did not like being the center of attention like this she agreed that in this moment, it was warranted, likely even required for Viv.  When Judy had brought Nick’s mother back into her partner’s life he’d acted similar, but Judy had merely cleared up a misunderstanding back then.  This was altogether different.  Judy used her good arm to hug back and petted Vivienne’s ears comfortingly.  She finally leaned back and sighed. 

 

“It’s gonna be okay, Viv-“ Judy was cut off as the fox leaned in and pushed her cheek to Judy’s cheek and neck and brushed forward, one side, then the other.  It was the way a mother marked a kit she’d lost, Judy even saw her do that to Nick.  The meaning was clear.  She’d said it before, but the fox saw Judy as family.  It made her blush heavily under her grey fur, given that she found herself acting foxy from time to time, but it also made her feel wonderful.  This was a family she could appreciate being a part of.

 

Vivienne finally leaned back, both hands on Judy’s good hand.  “You have to tell me, Judy… How did you know?  How did you know my son was alive?  You can’t mean to say you were just taking a stroll in a sealed chamber a thousand feet below the city and said ‘Oh hey, it’s the fox we were looking for, guess I’ll collect him,’ please tell me what happened!

 

“I will tell you that if you will tell me about what I missed.” Judy said.  She felt awful for not being there, but she remembered Higgins being told to call and interrupt the funeral.  Judy really wanted to know how exactly that had even been done.  Tactfully?  Quietly?  What had happened?

 

“Oh, I am going to tell you all about that, but you first, Judy.  Nick…  He’s doing better but they have him on pain medicine and he’s not really able to talk right now anyway.  He stressed his voice box again when they reset his leg.”  Judy winced at that, suddenly feeling awful for Nick.  She hoped with the pain medication and the like he’d not remember much about that. 

 

Judy took a breath while getting her thoughts together and then told Nick’s mother all about running out of the apartment after she told Judy about the funeral, and about running into a small-time crook who actually did care about the life of a cop and anonymously provided Judy with a map.  She told her about the plan, and about having a couple close friends, without saying who, help her get into the place.

 

Vivienne sobbed silently as she was told what kind of place Nick spent a week hopelessly trapped.  The vixen immediately likened it to exactly what it was called.  Her beloved little kit was in hell.  He was forced to eat rotting fish which his mother said would have been intolerable to him, and also drink disease-ridden sludge-water, just to survive.  He had to suffer the pain of a horribly broken limb in the awful heat and the red glow of unnatural never ending fire.  But Judy took him away from that dark place. 

 

The bunny suffered more fox-cuddling from the vixen after that and she remained quiet a bit.  She had been wondering when the pain medicine might start wearing off, but realized that it may be on a drip from the IV, so she was grateful for that.  Vivienne let her go and Judy took a moment and then explained the difficult task of bringing Nick back to the surface, and how she injured herself with the piece of street that fell on her head.  This left Vivienne utterly speechless.  She looked shocked, and actually couldn’t speak for a moment.  She slid forward again and held Judy a bit longer. 

 

Finally, when Mrs. Wilde was able to speak, she said, “On the news they mentioned there was video of you bringing him up through the street.  I figured it was a manhole or something, I hadn’t realized it was literally… up through the street.  They won’t show the video on the news because they said it was disturbing, maybe I ought to see it.”  Judy widened her eyes, remembering suddenly how upset everyone had been and all the screaming and what that must have looked like.  There was video of that?  That… was likely not going to set will with her parents.

 

“I would not exactly recommend it,” Judy offered.  “Nick and I were a mess; I wouldn’t want you to have to see him that way.”  Judy also did not want the vixen to see the state she herself had been in.  Judy was not really herself at that moment.  Vivienne didn’t really respond to that which made the bunny sure she was probably going to eventually look at it anyway. 

 

Instead, the vixen stated, “Okay, so… that actually brings us to what happened after, so I can tell you that part.”  Judy sat up a bit straighter and watched Vivienne compose herself a little more.  Knowing he was alive and knowing what actually had happened to him had been on very different levels, it seemed.  She took a little while.

 

“Viv?” asked Judy softly.

 

“S-sorry, just… Still getting my head around everything, it seems like I should wake up and be disappointed by reality but this is all…  Judy, you really had the… the bag?  You were not expecting to find him alive?  Please tell me this is only the _second_ time this has happened to you.”  She looked at Judy curiously, ears back, eyes wide.

 

“I promise it is.”  Judy said, a little bit of a chill running down her spine.  Nick had made a point to mention it too.  It really was as crazy as it sounded. 

 

Vivienne sighed, and then spoke as she leaned in closer to the bunny.  “Okay… So…  I got up this morning for the funeral.  As I’d said yesterday, it was held in City Center Park.  That was significant to the city, as he was.”  Her voice hitched and Judy held her hand. 

 

“Is.” Judy corrected.

 

Vivienne squeezed back gently and nodded, grinning at the bunny.  “Y-yes.  Sorry.  Um…  Anyway, we were there… Finnick was with me.  It didn’t look like he’d slept.  He brought a friend though…”  Judy widened her eyes.

 

“A white fox?” Judy asked.  Nick’s mother nodded.  The bunny felt a pang of guilt.  She had skipped Nick’s funeral and both of her friends had gone in her place, knowing that Judy was underground looking for him. 

 

Vivienne spoke again, “Sure, I was kind of disappointed that you had not come, but I understood, Judy.  I understood, I know how you felt.  Some of the other officers were confused by it but the chief set them straight.  I think he knew how hurt you were too.  So don’t go thinking this damaged your standing there any, Judy.”  Vivienne put a hand on the bunny’s good shoulder.  Judy sighed and nodded, still feeling like a heel. “Anyway, the eulogies began and I just felt kind of numb.  Some very nice things were said about him, and I was so surprised to see how many mammals came.  You know, we didn’t advertise the ceremony, we didn’t want it to be a media affair, but reporters showed up anyway.”

 

“They always do.” Judy sighed, rolling her eyes.

 

Nick’s mother chuckled at that and nodded, before resuming, “It was the chief’s turn to speak, and he came up to the podium, full dress uniform, very serious...  He had just put on his glasses and his cell phone started ringing.  The look of surprise on his face, he clearly didn’t expect to be called.  He looked so embarrassed.”  Judy widened her eyes.  The call came while he was about to eulogize Nick?  The bunny held her breath, suddenly very interested as Nick’s mother continued.  “He declined the call, and they called back, and he sent a message to whoever I guess, he was obviously getting pretty steamed.  He looked very intimidating.”

 

“I can imagine.” Judy said, cupping her muzzle to hide her grin.  She felt a little guilty; she and Wilde made Bogo’s life a lot more interesting, she was sure.

 

“Finally, we heard his phone buzz again, someone messaged him back.  He pardoned himself and picked it up, saying it was his emergency line and as he hadn’t heard explosions that the emergency was likely a sudden vacancy in his ranks, and he turned his phone on to look at the message.  Then we all watched your chief age ten years in a half-second.”  Judy cupped her muzzle tighter.  Oh poor Chief Bogo.  She shook her head in disbelief as Vivienne resumed.  “We were shocked to watch him, right there in the middle of a funeral, dial his phone and take the call.  We heard a bunch of ‘Are you sure?’, and ‘When?’, and ‘How?’, ‘Condition?’, and he finally hung up.  He tapped a stack of papers he had in his hands on the podium, probably a very carefully hand written speech, and then he just… tore them up, slowly in front of everyone.”

 

“Oh goodness…”  Judy exhaled slowly, having not realized she’d been holding her breath.

 

Vivienne rubbed the back of her head, smiling weakly.  “I get the impression that Nicholas leaves something of an impression on his boss.  I’d always imagined that he would.  Anyway, the chief looked up and cleared his throat.  That’s when I realized he was crying.”  Judy’s breath caught in her chest.  She swallowed hard, willing herself not to emulate her boss in that moment.  Viv continued, “Finnick reached over and tugged my skirt… said that this was probably going to be important news so I would pay attention.  I don’t know how he knew…”

 

Judy interrupted.  It was safe to tell her, she was sure.  “Finnick and that white fox were the ones who helped me get to Nick.” 

 

“Wh-what?” Vivienne gasped incredulously.  “Standing right there with me - they _knew_ what you were doing… They…”

 

“Please…”  Judy insisted.  She really wanted to know what happened.

 

“Oh… Yes, sorry… Um…”  The fox was flustered, but she continued.  “Yeah, Finnick told me that and I looked up, and the chief of police looked directly at me and said, and Judy I can’t ever forget this, he said… ‘Mrs. Wilde, it would seem that the city of Zootopia has been unduly hasty in laying your son to rest.  Officer Judy Hopps has just found him.  Alive.’.”  Judy gritted her teeth tightly, and then released a long, slow sigh.  That, she found, was what she wanted to know.  The exact moment that Vivienne learned her son was okay.  The vixen spoke again after sniffling some and having to regain her composure.  “And then no one said a thing.  We all just stared back.  I thought for sure I misheard him, I think everyone thought that.  So he said it again.  ‘Nicholas Wilde is alive.’  And I swear I’ve never heard so much commotion in all my life.    
The poor vixen Finnick brought with him fainted.  He tried to catch her and got smooshed, a few mammals helped out there, but it was a confusing mess for a little bit.  Mammals ran.  Judy, some of them were so startled that they bolted, I don’t even know where they were going!”

 

“I can imagine…” Judy stated, having to actually stifle a laugh at the thought of Finnick trying to dutifully catch Skye.

 

“The chief made his way through the crowd…” Vivienne continued.  “He reached me and told me that you and Nick got taken to the hospital, there were injuries.  He took me to the hospital in his car.  As I was leaving, Finnick, up on some lady elephant’s shoulder, shouted something like ‘to the pub!’ and the whole crowd just… followed.  Not like they usually serve drinks that early, but I guess they wanted to be able to get updates on the TV’s there and celebrate with snacks or something.  I got in the car and came to the hospital.  Nick was awake, but still confused and he was such a mess, even as a kit I never saw him get that dirty.  They let me back to see him, and then sent me out because they needed to fix his leg.  The chief stayed, he needed to talk to Nick, and then came back out in time for us to hear unhappy fox noises.  That pretty much brings us current.”  Judy took a moment to soak it all in.

 

“How long has it been since you got to the hospital?” Judy asked, suddenly unaware how long she’d been out.  It seemed like she’d missed so much.

 

“It’s only been about three hours.  Feel’s longer though.  Nick’s only just woken up from the sedative they gave him while they worked on him.  Your mom called me to tell me you were awake.” 

 

“How did my parents find out?” Judy asked, suddenly feeling horribly guilty since she hadn’t even told them about Nick’s funeral.  Her mind was so gone that night she hadn’t even considered it since she knew she herself was not going to go.

 

“The chief called them while we were in the car.  Your mom can be creative with language while all the while not actually swearing.”  Judy widened her eyes.  She might be getting the soft treatment right that moment from them, but she knew she was not getting out of this without some hard lecturing from her parents. 

 

Judy spoke sadly, “Sorry I didn’t tell you what I was doing… That I was still looking.  I-“  Vivienne placed a claw-tip on Judy’s lip, making her stop talking.

 

“Don’t you _dare_.  You have my permanent forgiveness dear.  I promise you that.  You are family, Judy.  Family always forgives.”  Judy smiled weakly at that and hugged her vulpine… big sister?  Parent?  She didn’t care.  It felt lovely.  Vivienne hugged back as tight as she felt was allowed and then slipped carefully off the bed.  “If it’s alright, I am gonna head back to Nick’s room and check up on him.  He was getting more lucid when your mother called me, and I know he wanted to know how you were doing.  I told him I’d find out and be right back.”  Judy nodded and waved Nick’s mother out.  Of course she could go see her son!  She padded out, grinning happily, enjoying a very good day despite being in a hospital after her son’s interrupted funeral. 

 

Judy lay back slowly, carefully.  Vivienne’s scent was much closer to Nick’s, but still a little different.  This put the bunny into a bit deeper thought.  She wanted to smell him again, and that thought reminded her instantly of something she had only admitted to herself less than 24 hours earlier.

 

She loved him.  And now she had him back.  She leaned back, mind racing.  What was she supposed to even do about that now?  She didn’t want to scare him away if he didn’t really feel the same, and she certainly didn’t want to seem like she expected it just because she… what… saved his life again?  But she couldn’t just… not tell him either.  Besides that, she was sure Nick was clever enough to figure it out even if she tried to hide it.  When he had a chance to recover a little, she would tell him, she decided with a sigh.  He would understand.  He understood her better than she did sometimes.

 

Judy was distracted from her personal ponderings by another arrival.  It was another face that she recognized.  Lily Grace, the deer doctor she had when she had gotten hit by the bus.  The cervine doe smiled warmly at Judy and walked over to check her IV, her drip, and update her charts.

 

“Hello again.” Judy said to show she recognized her.

 

“Good morning… Actually, I guess good afternoon, we’re just past noon.  Did you enjoy your nap?”  Judy nodded a bit.  “You know, if you want to be friends and hang out, we can go hiking of roller-blading or something, we don’t have to loiter around _here_ all the time.”

 

Judy laughed a little at that.  “Yeah, this has not been a great week for me.  Are you treating Nick as well?” she asked. 

 

Dr. Grace looked up and smiled, shaking her head.  “No, dear, Nick’s under the care of an Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr. Quill.  Quill also put your shoulder back into joint.”  Judy blinked at that.  It had been out?  She was glad she didn’t remember that.  The deer spoke again after checking some things off.  “You also had a torn ligament, probably a lot of pulled muscles, you really don’t get along with that side of your body.  You will be in that sling a lot longer this time, Judy, I’m not clearing you for your normal work duties again for at least 21 days.   You can do limited administrative and office work after next Friday.  No sooner.”  Judy nodded at that and sighed.  She would not enjoy it, but at least she had something happier to think about than what she’d been dealing with for the past week.  Besides, after getting caught breaking into a no-access part of the city going back to work was probably not something she had to worry that much about. 

 

“How long do you think it will take for Nick to heal?” she asked.  That was more important to her.  “Will he be in a wheel-chair?” she asked.

 

“He fractured his right tibia.  He’ll have a cast on it, but he will be able to use crutches to get around, though we will want that done as little as possible. It will take six to nine weeks for him to return to any kind of active duty.  For the first week, your partner will need to pretty strictly be a couch potato.  Given that he’s probably honor-bound now to do whatever you tell him to, I am making that your responsibility.” She laughed.  Judy laughed nervously as well, hoping Nick really didn’t feel like he owed her like that.  The doctor put Judy’s chart back on the end of her bed.

 

“When will Nick be able to leave the hospital?” Judy asked.

 

Dr. Grace answered that hastily.  “That’s really up to Doctor Quill, but I will say that foxes don’t mend well in a hospital environment, they like a dark, very quiet place.  He will likely be out here as soon as he’s coherent and they feel that the antibiotics are doing their job.”

 

“He has an infection?” Judy asked.  He had seemed so weak.  That made sense.

 

Her doctor replied, “It’s nothing too serious, but yes, he was sick.  Probably from drinking tainted water.  But don’t you worry.  He’s not in any danger from that, Judy.  It was probably pretty unpleasant, but it’s not one of the severe ones.  He’ll be okay.”  Judy relaxed.

 

After Dr. Grace left the room, Judy put the TV back on another game show.  It was a game using oversized cards that felt like a larger-than-life board game but she couldn’t really get the gist of it since the calm and her reassurance that Nick was going to be okay lulled her to sleep.

 

 

 

 

Judy had no idea how long she slept, but when she came to, her head hurt a bit where the road had fallen on her.  She guessed that her pain killers were wearing off a little.  She watched the TV for a while, enough to find that it was about four in the afternoon.  She turned the TV to a local station but there wasn’t any news on, just a talk show.  She blanched at that but didn’t have to continue her search for distraction as her mother entered.

 

“Hey there!” Judy said a little more energetically than she had greeted her mother earlier.  Bonnie seemed to get that her daughter had more energy and was obviously pleased.  Judy sat up with a bit of effort and her mother propped another pillow behind her on the over-sized bed.

 

“Your father is getting some food for us in the cafeteria, so I’m gonna go back downstairs but there’s someone who’s been waiting for you to wake up, so is it okay if I send them up?”  Judy nodded to that, stretching with her good arm as she got herself more fully awake.

 

After a few moments alone in the room, the bunny realized she was no longer attached to an IV.  How they removed that without waking her was a testament to some nurse or doctor’s skill, she thought, but she took advantage of the lack of tether and hobbled achingly to the bathroom.  Having tended to that, she got back into bed.  It was mostly because the light blue hospital gown made her feel so naked. 

 

A few moments later she looked up to see Skye and Finnick.  The both entered with huge grins on their muzzles.  Judy felt a little meek.  They had helped her.  They were in part responsible, she didn’t do it alone.  But they were not able to claim credit because it involved breaking the law.  That was something Judy intended to answer for alone.  Finnick quietly closed the door.

 

The vixen was the first to speak.  “Judy…  I can’t believe this.  I… I just… I keep telling myself…”  Skye shook her hands a bit.  “We were at the funeral, Judy.  We were at the funeral and they called the chief.” 

 

“I know.” Judy stated with a smile.  “Nick’s mom told me about it.” 

 

“I met her!” Skye said brightly.  “How could that fox have come from someone so sweet?”  She crossed her arms.

 

Finnick laughed softly at that and scrambled up onto the bed.  He was small enough that it was awkward to remain on the floor while Judy was pup higher.  He spoke in his usual deep tone.  “We just got done talkin’ to her.  Nick’s being released in the morning.  Can you imagine that?  He’ll be back in his apartment.  I hope you hadn’t thrown anything out yet!”  He laughed.

 

Judy laughed too, but was inwardly thankful that she had not actually torn the apartment up when she was freaking out about Nick’s funeral.

 

Skye took on a serious expression, looking side to side a bit, then speaking in a hushed tone.  “… Judy they know about Hell’s Cauldron.  They know where you found Nick.  It’s a crime scene, yellow tape and everything.  We didn’t patch the wall.”

 

“I’m taking the fall for that, Skye.  That’s me, just like I promised.  No one else needs to be involved in that.”  Skye frowned and nodded.  She obviously hated leaving the bunny out to dry on that, but there was little sense in all three of them being in trouble for it.

 

Finnick looked up with a grin.  “One of the officers downstairs keepin’ the media in line was talkin’.  Said you like… burst through the street at the Palm Market.  They was figurin’ you ripped into Hell’s Cauldron with your bare paws.  I ain’t seen the video mammals been talkin’ about but I guess it was pretty crazy.”  Judy nodded at that, and felt a pang of guilt.  If it was on Zootube then more than her family saw it.  It might really hurt how people reacted to her.  She was not proud of how extreme she had been in that moment and quietly hoped that kind of fame would blow over like it had with Bellwether or the Bear incident..  It was a very bad look for her, but she would have to deal with that later. 

 

“Judy, I am so glad for you.  For everyone.” Skye whimpered.  She wiped her eyes a little and took a deep breath.  “We are gonna let you rest but we had to see you.  You got hurt in there, I feel like if we’d have stayed…”

 

“Hey!” Judy said in a scolding tone.  “No second-guessing.  If we all went, the scaffolding might have collapsed entirely, the ladder could have killed one of us, or I might not have heard Nick tapping the pipe in there to let me know he was down there.  Here we are.  That’s all we need.”  Skye nodded briskly, ears back.  “Have you visited Nick yet?” Judy asked.  She figured they must have.

 

Finnick answered.  “We did.  He was pretty tore up on painkillers, but he ain’t allowed to talk till tomorrow afternoon at least.  They gave him a white marker-board but he didn’t use it to talk much, just drew rude pictures and asked for water.”  Judy laughed a bit at that.  She could hardly imagine Nick with that little self-control and regretted that she was missing it.  Maybe he would still have a chance to embarrass himself the way she had when she was on pain killers.  “He asked about you too, of course, knew you got hurt.  We told him you was alright.  Anyway, we wanted to see ya, and we’re gonna meet up with a movie star to get some grub.  He said he’s buyin’, so I’m eatin’,” the smaller fox laughed.  Judy blinked at that, having honestly nearly forgotten Jack had any involvement in all of this.  She supposed he really was going to continue to be friends after everything that happened.  It only added another odd situation to her crazy life here.

 

Judy let her friends head out, and she relaxed again, entertaining herself with a crime drama on TV.  The next several hours were something of a parade of welcome interruptions.  Her doctor returned to inform Judy that she would be there overnight for observation because of her head injury; she expected that, and then several of her coworkers took turns visiting. 

 

Clawhauser was first; he rushed over to the hospital the moment he got out of work.  Fangmeyer called in to the station right after he had Higgins inform the chief.  The chubby cheetah said he could hardly manage the next couple calls that came in, and finally just blurted the news out over the radio.  Sirens wailed all through the city, he said.  He could hear it from the station.  Bogo, he mentioned, had taken the rest of the day off, saying simply that he could not drink on duty.

 

Wolfard visited with Fangmeyer and Higgins, both of whom were pulling double shifts but were helping deal with hospital security due to curious citizens concerned about Hopps and Wilde.  Wolfard said that because of the additional media attention on what happened, several leads had come in from mammals who knew other members of the Alabaster Paw who were involved.  Despite the resulting reduction in theft reports, he was eager to have Nick and Judy back on the job, so he told her to take care of herself.

 

Judy’s mother came back after another couple hours and brought Judy her phone.  Fortunately, despite everything, it still worked.  It had been in the backpack up to the point she left the bag behind so it was spared a lot of the trauma that her body endured.  Her mother had charged it for her back at the apartment, and then brought it back after taking Vivienne there so that she could spend the night.  Her mom and dad hugged her and congratulated her again, promising they would be there in the morning with fresh clothes so she could check out of the hospital.

 

Judy turned on her phone and her ears flattened.  There were over eleven-hundred messages and more than a hundred missed calls.  Judy sighed softly.  Her mom wasn’t kidding, it was like all of Bunnyburrow had something to say.  It turned out that at least half of those messages were from Charlie passing his phone around The Mill, letting patrons say things to Judy.  Some folks just said get well soon, a bunch told her she did a good job, and a lot of them said they were proud to be from Bunnyburrow because of her.  A few expressed shock over ‘the video’ that she had yet to see and didn’t really care to just yet, and a few made comments about taking care of ‘her fox’. 

 

There were more than fifty messages from Sammie who apparently wrote one unbelievably long message about wanting forgiveness and keeping Judy’s secret and a dozen other things, and that message got broken up dozens and dozens of separate ones by the text message limit.  Most of the other messages were genuinely from other family members, from brothers and sisters down to third cousin’s twice removed.  If they lived in Bunnyburrow and had met her, they probably messaged her.

 

After spending what felt like an hour and a half dealing with messages and bleeding her phone down to 30 percent battery life, she just went right to her “Sleepy Nick” folder and felt her ears warm as she gazed at the images.  It was different now that she admitted to herself that it wasn’t some strange attachment.  It was a wonderful attachment.  It was the best possible attachment.  She touched his image on her phone, fighting back tears again as that sense of serenity and safety swept through her.  She had been afraid she’d never feel that again.

 

She would see him again in the morning.  She couldn’t wait to be next to him.  She pulled her extra pillow alongside her on her uninjured side, rolled slightly to trap it there and closed her eyes to sleep in the contented knowledge that the fox she loved was just down the hall, waiting to see her too.


	26. Promises

 

**Guardian Blue: Season One**

Episode 26: Promises

 

 

 

“Officer?”  A male voice that she did not recognize lifted Judy from her slumber.  She winced a little as she tried to roll, realizing that she could not lead with her bad shoulder.  She pushed with her leg a little and rolled onto her back.  She looked up at the dim light along the wall above and behind her bed. 

 

“Yes?” she asked groggily.  Nurses had checked in on her a couple of times, but she did not recognize this one.  It must have been shift change.  She looked at the pillow she’d been balled up around and smiled, reminded immediately that Nick was no longer just a memory.  He was alive.  She found that she had to tell herself this as she woke as her mind seemed to want to go back to that feeling of loss for reasons she could not explain.  Maybe it was because she had not really allowed herself to mourn, focusing instead on doing instead of feeling.  Feeling, in those days, had been insurmountably hard.

 

The stout, pudgy capybara with blue scrubs and glasses spoke again.  “I hate to interrupt you in your sleep in the middle of the night like this.  I know you’ve gone through a lot, Officer Hopps.”  He clutched his hands together in front of him, seeming nervous.  While short for a capybara, the mammal was still a lot bigger than Judy, almost Nick’s size, and heavy-looking.  But he seemed so gentle at the same time.

 

“It’s alright, I have slept more since I got here than I think I had for the few days before.”  She sat up slowly, wincing a bit.  Yeah, they were definitely weaning her off the stronger pain medicine.

 

“It’s about your partner,” the capybara stated softly.  Judy’s heart leapt to her throat.

 

“Nick?” she asked, her voice sinking with dread.  “Is something wrong?”  She knew her fear was audible, but she could hardly bring herself to care.  There was an infection, the doctor said he had an infection, did it get worse?  Was he not going to be okay now?  She couldn’t bear the thought of it, and her heart raced, her hands feeling clammy.

 

The nurse spoke again, “Nothing terrible, but we think you might be able to help us with him.”  He did not change his composure to be more reassuring, perhaps unaware of how badly he’d just terrified Judy.

 

She spoke up louder.  “What’s happened?  I will help any way I can.” 

 

The broad, meek looking rodent replied, “See, foxes do not like hospitals, they have a lot of trouble relaxing, they are twitchy, they get irritated easily when they are hurt, it’s usually not much fun to care for them when they get really messed up.” 

 

“I was aware of this, yes.” Judy replied wearily.  She was herself a little irritated at how nearly disparaging this nurse was being, but she was sure her partner would not be fun to deal with if he was irritated and grumpy.  “I take it Nick is giving you some trouble?  Sorry, what did you say your name was?” she asked.

 

“Kyle Goodgnaw.  Nice to get to meet you.  Um…  He won’t go to sleep.  He’s acting super stressed, starts freaking out for no reason, all kinds of issues.  He needs to sleep at least a little because he’s exhausted.  Everyone who comes in there gets a message to come get you, to bring you in there.  We told him you are okay but I think maybe he doesn’t believe us?  He seems really stressed about you, so if he sees you walk in there on your own, and knows you are in better shape than him, maybe he will calm down and rest, we are hoping.  Dr. Quill and I were hoping, I mean.  Quill left for the day, but said if Wilde didn’t rest I could come and talk to you.”  Judy’s heart raced.  Of course she would go see Nick, it’s what she’d been wanting since she woke up the first time.  She worried about what condition he was in, but if he was being a pain it could not be too bad. 

 

“Sure, I will go see him.  I agree.  It might help.  He can be a little… protective,” she stated, remembering when she got hit by the bus.  Had that only been a couple weeks ago?  So much had happened, it was hard to believe.  If Nick didn’t know she was alright, she thought it was a safe bet he was dwelling on it and stressing out about it too much.  She followed Kyle out of her room on somewhat unsteady legs, but her strength began to return to her with a little walking.  Being in bed all day did not agree with a bunny.

 

They walked down the hall and entered Nick’s room with the nurse quietly.  Nick looked away suddenly before she could even really see his face in the darkened room.  She thought it was odd that he looked away.  He was moving slightly but she could not tell exactly what he was doing as her eyes adjusted.  The halls were so bright, but for vulpine patients they usually kept the rooms pretty dark.  Nick was on a bed far too large for him, just as Judy’s was.  The bunny got closer, concerned at his actions.  Turning away didn’t seem the sort of thing that a fox who was lamenting his injured partner would do.  He then brought a white marker board from in front of him that he’d just been writing on and held it behind him for Judy to read. 

 

_Please don’t get mad at them_

 

Judy blinked at that message.  He wasn’t allowed to talk at that moment so she knew why he had to write it, but why would she be mad at the nurse or doctor?  Nick then slowly turned with a miserable expression and Judy’s heart nearly shattered.

 

He was wearing a muzzle.

 

Judy balled up her fist.  “What the fuh-“  Nick shook the sign again, his eyes pleading, but the sign wasn’t working.  Eyes wide she turned slowly to the capybara.  He backed away from her with obvious fear written on his face as clear as Nick’s writing on the sign.

 

Judy asked slowly, “Why is that… thing… on his face?”  The bunny provided for this question a severely cold tone.  She could feel herself beginning to shake with rage.  After everything that Nick had gone through he was laying there in a _muzzle_?  Like a violent criminal?  This was every level of unacceptable she could possibly imagine.

 

“The oral restraint?” asked Kyle.  “It’s for safety reasons.  Predators sometimes do weird things when they are sedated or on medication.”  Judy turned and immediately moved to Nick’s side, the fox holding still as Judy looked for the clasp for the muzzle.  It wasn’t a steel one like what the ZPD used, it was tough black rubber.  It was hard for Judy to manage it with just one hand, even if it was not made for criminals.  Kyle spoke up, a little louder.  “Oh, no, you can’t do that, only a doctor or a nurse can handle the equipment.”

 

“Did Nick ask you to remove it?” she asked in that cold, hateful voice.

 

Kyle responded with exasperation, “Of course he did, but we’re not supposed to.  He feels fine _now_ , but if he’s medicated and wakes up confused he could-“  Judy cut him off with a savage tone not at all characteristic of a bunny.

 

“-do far, far less physical damage in his condition than I will do to _anyone_ who puts one of these back on him.”  She pulled it off finally and hurled it out the door into the hall. 

 

“We have to-“ Kyle started.

 

“Out.” Judy commanded.

 

“I-“

 

“Don’t come back without Quill.”  Her eyes narrowed.  The larger mammal turned and left hastily, actually closing the door.  Judy’s heart was racing.  The nurse could have called security and made a much bigger scene out of that, but he seemed to think better of it.  Judy turned and looked at Nick who hand both hands rubbing his mouth, opening and closing it now that he could, looking pretty dejected.  Judy embraced him.  It’s what she wanted to do the moment she found out she was coming to see him, but right then it seemed he might need it more than she did.  Had he been wearing it long?  Hours?  He had been trying to get someone to bring Judy in there because he knew she would make them take it off.  Nick carefully hugged her back, mindful of her shoulder and bandaged head.  Dangerous fox indeed.

 

Judy spoke on the edge of tears.  “Nick, I am so sorry, they only just now came to get me, I had no idea…”  Nick gestured for Judy to release him.  She did, a little confused, but then realized that it was because he needed his other arm to be able to pick up his marker board.  He wrote for a bit then held up the sign.

 

_Mom forgot to tell them not to use it.  It was a long day for her_

Judy sighed again in frustration and nodded _._ It did not make her feel any better about having walked in to see that scene.  “It’s no wonder foxes hate hospitals, being treated like that.” Judy growled.  Nick used a handkerchief to erase the board and wrote again for a while.

 

_It’s actually necessary.  Predators do bite if they’re in pain and get surprised.  It’s not unreasonable.  I just couldn’t sleep with it on._

 

Judy looked at the fox who then smiled at her, melting the chill in her heart immediately.  She sighed heavily as her anger burned off.  Judy just remained quiet a bit.  She was finally here with him.  He wasn’t hidden away in another place, making her wonder.  He seemed to be doing okay, though she supposed he had a cast on under the blankets of his bed.  He looked a bit thin, gaunt almost, but she expected that too.  He gave her hand a little bit of a squeeze, smiling a bit more tenderly at her.  He seemed very sleepy.

 

Judy was in no hurry to go, but she knew he was tired.  “I should let you get some rest, Nick.  Now that you don’t have that ‘oral restraint’ on your face now, do you think you can sleep?” she asked.  More marker board writing took place.

 

_Stay for a little bit?  Until I fall asleep?_

 

Judy’s heart ached for that.  Of course she would.  She carefully pulled herself up on the bed, paying attention to get on his left side since it was his right leg that took the hit.  She pushed her back against the head of the bed and found Nick pulling himself into a sitting position as he wrote some more.  It seemed more comfortable for him to write if he was sitting instead of lying.  Judy did not want him doing anything but resting.  However, she didn’t want to seem like she was rushing him.  Maybe he just really needed her company.  He wrote on the board again.

 

_Is it okay if I ask a question?  I didn’t want to ask anyone else._

 

Judy flicked her ears back and then nodded to her partner.  “Certainly, you can ask me anything.”  She leaned forward a bit as he wrote, watching him form the words.  Nick had wonderful penmanship, even when he was trying to write quickly.  Judy blushed a little as she considered how much she looked forward to hearing his soft voice again.  There was that, of course, she would tell him eventually, but right now was not time.  She wanted Nick to feel more like Nick before laying that at his feet.  Finally, he finished writing.

 

_Did we get him?  Darmaw.  Did we catch him?_

 

Judy’s blood chilled again.  He wasn’t aware of what happened?  He must have been distracted with the little girl when Judy kicked the buck through the rails.  No one had thought to tell him anything about the case that nearly killed him?  Or maybe they had been asked not to so as to let Nick relax.  She thought for a moment, her expression slightly stunned.  It was not an easy thing to say suddenly.  The rage was subsiding, she got her fox back, but she felt no differently about what she’d done.  Nick touched her arm.  He had circled Darmaw’s name, and wrote hastily,

 

_Got away?_

 

The bunny realized that Nick was concerned about this because it seemed that putting him and the girl in danger was a distraction so that he could escape.  To a normal mammal that might have been the case, but that buck was trying to commit two murders, completely focused on killing Nick and the little pup, and didn’t seem to care about himself at that point. 

 

Judy inhaled deeply and then spoke.  Her voice was a little deeper to express the seriousness that she felt about this.  “Nick, that monster tried to murder a five year old pup right in front of me, then tried to murder you while you were hanging there helplessly trying to save her.”  Judy wanted to carefully lay out the situation as she saw it.  Nick looked at her with wide, expressive and interested eyes.  He scribbled on the pad hastily, his lettering not quite as neat.

 

_We WILL get him, Fluff._

 

Judy looked Nick in the eyes and said softly, “No Nick.  I killed him.”  The expression of shock that the fox donned was absolute.  It was obviously not the thing that he expected to hear.  Judy was actually surprised that he hadn’t seen it on the news, but if they put the muzzle on him when he was just coming off the pain meds he might not have cared to see any news up to that point.  Nick quickly erased the board with his sleeve and wrote again.

 

_How?_

 

“I kicked him over the railing when he was trying to stomp you off the catwalk.  Nick, Darmaw was probably dead before you hit the water.”  Her partner looked pained.  Judy wasn’t sure what was worse, that Nick probably felt in part responsible, or that she regretted not getting to kill Darmaw a second time for making Nick look like that.  Judy took Nick’s hand again, smiling at him, trying to let him see that she was not suffering from the experience.  No officer wanted _that_ number in their record.  No one wanted to end the life of another, and when it happened counseling was always a must.  She’d already been seen a few times by Dr. Carlisle, that’s how she knew what was expected, and why she felt a bit guilty – not for taking a life, but because she felt so little remorse for the deer.  Nick wrote on the board again.

 

_Judy, are you OK?_

 

Judy sucked in a deep breath and smiled at Nick encouragingly.  She did _not_ need him to worry about her.  She hadn’t died even once through this whole ordeal, Nick was the one who had a funeral.  “Nick, I’m fine.  Dr. Carlisle’s there for me to talk to, and we’ve met a few times, she’s very nice.”  She gripped Nick’s hand tighter.  “I did what I had to do to save you and the pup.  I _don’t_ regret it.”  Nick put his ears back and then bowed his head forward, forehead touching her chest, then sliding down as he lay out fully on the bed again with his cheek in her lap.  He wrapped both arms around her middle and embraced tightly.  The soft jolting shakes coming from him told Judy the real measure of Nick’s feelings.  He was so quiet that only those little movements betrayed it.  He wept.

 

The bunny lowered her head and leaned in to hold him tight as well, as well as she could with one arm.  Nick’s crying actually lasted for a while, and Judy felt like maybe this was something he’d been trying to hold back and when it got out he just felt content to unload all of it.  Her own cheeks were wet so she couldn’t blame him.  She stroked his neck and back slowly, soothingly.  She might have, not so long ago, felt very awkward to be put in this position, a bunny with a fox sobbing with his nose tucked against her tummy through a thin hospital gown.  Now however, she found that she was grateful to be here with him when he needed her.  Who else could he hold and know it was okay to let this out?

 

The crying slowed after a perhaps twenty minutes, and Judy kept stroking his neck and shoulders, but then suddenly remembered a valuable bit of trivia.  She pushed back a little, getting more comfortable with Nick’s head still resting on her lap and brought her fingertips to the ends of his darker-toned foxy ears. 

 

She spoke softly, “I know you’re tired Nick.  I’m gonna stay, I promise… right here.  I won’t leave.  Just close your eyes and rest.  Can you do that for me?  I want you to be ready to go home tomorrow.  You will be a lot happier in your own place.”  As she spoke she began to tweak and tease Nick’s ears, her fingertips pulling and caressing along the rims of them.  The effect was immediate.  It felt like he half way turned to liquid.  His breathing pretty quickly changed and with so little effort the exhausted fox was out.  Judy smiled at that, feeling very accomplished for having done it.  She would be sure to let Vivienne know that trick was used exactly how it should be.  She remembered that the first time she’d done that Nick had been the one caring for her.  Judy had considered getting up and heading back to her room, but she worried that the capybara was waiting just around the corner for the vicious bunny to leave so could cram that muzzle back on his face.  So she promised Nick she would stay as long as they let her.  Judy slid down carefully, slowly, wincing a bit at a little bit of strain to her shoulder. 

 

Finally, with a bit of careful, slow squirming she was tucked in against Nick’s side.  She blushed a bit, feeling selfish and a little shameful but she tilted her head up and pushed her nose up against his neck and drew in a long, deep breath.  And she was denied.  Nick smelled like absolutely nothing.  He smelled like the rest of the hospital.  Of course they had to scrub him completely with how much of a mess he’d been and the fox had not had time to get his own scent back.  Judy was actually a little alarmed at exactly how frustrated and disappointed she was about that.  She was no longer in any position to tease her sister about the pillow. 

 

Lacking the comfort of his scent did not prevent Judy from slowly being filled with that quiet, happy contentment that she had feared less than a full day ago would be gone forever.  She knew that she needed to get up and return to her room eventually, but the thought that someone might try to muzzle her partner again prevented her from doing much more than entertaining the thought.  In moments, despite having had a lot more sleep than the fox, she joined him in peaceful slumber tucked as close as she could on the oversized bed. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Soft murmuring outside the door of the hospital room was what brought Judy back into consciousness.  She shifted a little and regretted it.  Her shoulder was in utter agony.  She winced and rolled fully onto her side, finding that she was pushed into Nick.  She put an arm out to help her sit up.  She needed to find a nurse to get some pain medicine.  She found the room to be softly lit, and the reason why became obvious a second later.  She and Nick were no longer alone in the room.  Judy suddenly forgot about the pain in her shoulder as her entire body flushed with embarrassment.

 

Vivienne smiled up at Judy as she perked up in her cushy chair by the bed.  Viv had obviously discovered a bunny in bed with her son.  Judy inhaled deeply and winced again.  Shoulder.  How could she keep forgetting?  She whined a little, and spoke.

 

“They uh, came and got me last night to help him sleep.  They-“ Judy started.

 

“I heard.  I feel terrible.” Vivienne murmured in a sad tone.  “I completely forgot to tell them he would get really distressed about that.  Thanks for guarding him.  I am sure they would have tried to get it back on him if you left.  Apparently the nurses were intimidated by you, so as long as you were in here, they weren’t going to come in.”

 

Judy spoke with a wavering voice.  “I need you to do me a small favor.”  Vivienne widened her eyes, expression serious as she nodded.

 

“Anything, Judy,” she said kindly.

 

“Get a nurse, please?  Let them know I need pain medicine.  It’s really bad.”  There was a lot of tension in Judy’s voice.  “I guess I deserve it for scaring the hospital staff.”  She winced again.  Vivienne immediately jumped up.

 

She huffed out in sudden alarm.  “Whuh!  Of course.  Goodness, I’ll get someone, so you just hold still I‘ll be right back!”  Vivienne hastily departed.  

 

Her exclamation seemed to rouse the other fox who shifted a bit, groaning groggily with a raspy sounding voice, “Nuuhh…” 

 

Judy put a hand on the top of his head.  “No talking, Nick.  Remember?”  She was still mostly under the blanket, but could not remember exactly getting under them.  Nick rolled over, wincing a bit as well.  While his broken leg was the worst of his injuries Judy supposed that being slammed through a mile of pipe might have caused other discomfort.  Nick struggled a little to sit up and looked around.  Without his marker-board he was effectively speechless.  Judy found that it had fallen off the bedside table at some point, or maybe it had been on the bed.  She could not remember.  Judy could not reach down and get it easily with her injury and Nick wasn’t about to try to get off the bed.  He smiled at her, laughing quietly and shaking his head and side by side, still half under the covers, they waited.

 

Vivienne hurried back in, then gasped happily at seeing Nick awake.  “Oh you look so much better today, sweetie.  Are you ready to go home?” she asked.  Nick nodded emphatically, then pointed to the floor where the marker board was.  His mother grabbed it, but realized immediately that there was writing which, as any mother might, she read curiously.  The patchwork conversation there was Nick asking about Darmaw.  Vivienne handed the board back to Nick, and he pointed at the name, looking curiously at his mother.

 

“That’s not the kind of thing I wanted to talk about,” she stated firmly.  “I had everything to be grateful for.  I wasn’t going to bring up... his name.”  she bared her teeth a little when she said it.  Nick erased the board and scribbled on it.

 

_It’s okay.  As long as Judy and the pup are alright.  Is the pup alright?_

 

Judy nodded and winced again in pain.  Nick’s eyes widened and he leaned in close, ears back, a hand on Judy’s side.  He wrote with his free hand sloppily.

_Pain?_

 

Judy nodded.  “It’s okay Nick.  Viv went to get a nurse, they’ll bring me some medicine.  I missed a dose last night I think.” She admitted.  She didn’t want him to feel bad about it but she wanted even more for him not to worry about her.  Nick nodded a little despondently, looking sad a moment, as he likely knew that she was injured coming to get him, and now in pain for staying with him.  He leaned in and carefully hugged the bunny again, but this time he tucked his chin up near her good shoulder, cheek to cheek with her, and then drew back suddenly, perking his ears.

 

Judy watched as he tilted his head slightly in quiet curiosity, then his eyes semi-lidded and he leaned in.  She held still but squirmed a little as she felt his whiskers tickle along her cheeks, his cool nose brought so close she could feel the pull of air from him drawing in his breath right along her jawline.  She then realized what he was doing.  Vivienne put her scent on Judy when she hugged her the previous day.  Nick must have found it.  It was a little embarrassing.  Her partner leaned back again, looking in surprise at his mother. 

 

Judy chuckled at that and murmured weakly, “Told you I was family.”  Vivienne gave a beaming smile at Nick.  His expression, surprised a moment longer, suddenly softened, and he smiled to Judy.  He looked at her a moment, still quiet, very still, and then the peaceful moment was interrupted by both Judy’s doctor and obviously Dr. Quill entering at the same time.  Grace had medicine and some water for Judy and the squat porcupine busied himself with inspecting Nick’s vitals. 

 

Grace spoke first, smiling to Judy.  “For your future stays, ask for a supervisor and explain the situation before traumatizing our interns.”  Judy wilted a bit, putting her ears back as she swallowed the medicine down. 

 

The bunny answered meekly, “Will do.  There’s… reasons.”  She didn’t want to get into it. 

 

Grace simply nodded.  “Also, you will want to message your parents next time you switch rooms in the middle of the night.  They were most confounded by your disappearance.  I explained where you were and they decided to go have breakfast and leave you alone to rest.  Very understanding sorts, the elder Hoppses,” the kind deer chuckled.  She used a flashlight to inspect Judy’s eyes, she tested her reflexes, some of her visual acuity, and finally gave her a stack of forms to sign. 

 

“I fill these out and I can go?” Judy asked.  She knew the drill from last time, but there were no special instructions about the medicine she would need or anything. 

 

“Yes.  Same routine as with the bus, you have to have someone responsible with you when taking medicine.  And this time your partner won’t do, he’ll have to stay on a couch or in bed for a while.  Fortunately, one of your friends who lives in the apartment volunteered to help look after you.”  Judy flicked her ears at that.  She could only be talking about Skye.  She felt bad for putting her out again.  She already made the vixen risk legal trouble, but she didn’t think she could stand having her parents watch over her and Nick for who knows how long, and Skye seemed the type to gladly give them more space while they recovered so Judy nodded in agreement at that arrangement.

 

The bunny spoke again, putting the papers down.  “And Nick?  Can he be cleared to leave this morning?” she asked, her heart beating faster, hopeful. 

 

Quill was the one who answered that.  “I don’t see why not.  He will have a few more special instructions concerning the care of his leg and the medicine he has to take, and I must impress upon all of you that if he tries to over-do it… that could cause him problems running and walking permanently, so see to it that he follows his instructions to the letter!”  The older porcupine announced.

 

“Absolutely.” Judy said, carefully sitting up so that she didn’t appear to actually be pushed up against Nick.  She realized as she did so that his tail was looped around her hips so that she actually could not move away without sitting on it or crimping it.  Nick scribbled on his marker board.

 

_I get to go home?_

 

Vivienne nodded quickly, and accepted the paperwork from the doctor who excused himself to check on other patients.  Judy had been paying attention to Quill and had not noticed that Grace was already gone to do the same.  Such busy mammals they were.  Judy scooted slowly off the bed and took a moment in the restroom before returning and just standing by the bed.  The medicine took a while to get worked into her system but Vivienne and Nick talked back and forth using the board about normal things and it was easy for Judy to kind of forget what had nearly happened.  It felt good to be back into a life that seemed just a little more normal.  She found herself feeling downright cheerful. 

 

Then Bogo showed up. 

 

Judy didn’t have any ill feelings toward the chief, of course.  She just knew what the conversation with him would most likely be.  She carefully sat down on the chair that Vivienne had been in.  She wondered if he’d ask Nick’s mom to leave for this, but he didn’t.  He held a newspaper tucked under his arm and a cup of coffee in his hand.  The cup was nearly empty, and did not last any longer than it took for him to advance to the trash can on the other side of the room.  He turned and walked back to the door, closing it slowly.  Judy’s heart raced.

 

This was it.  She felt awful that Vivienne had to witness it but knew she would want the support when he left.  Bogo reached into his front uniform-shirt pocket and pulled out his glasses, putting them on.  Nick reached down and scribbled on his board.

 

_Oh crap_

 

Vivienne huffed at her son and used her hand to erase the rude comment.  Bogo regarded the pair a moment and then looked hard at Judy.  She felt tiny already under his gaze and even more sitting on a chair made to accommodate nearly any mammal. 

 

Bogo cleared his throat a bit and finally spoke.  “Officer Hopps.  It would seem you have put me into a somewhat uncomfortable position and put all eyes on my precinct yet again.”  His words were dire.

 

“Yes sir, sorry sir,” Judy stated meekly.

 

The chief continued.  “…Wanton destruction of city property…”  The bunny winced a bit.  “Forced access into a highly restricted area…”  Judy’s heart sank.  Why couldn’t he just say it and be done.  “… Then of course I woke up to this.”  Bogo stated with a frustrated sigh as he opened the newspaper and turned it around, letting Judy, Nick, and Vivienne finally see it.

 

The image which took up the full top half of the page was a very clear and unsettling one.  It was Judy right after she’d pulled Nick up through the street, half her face soaked in crimson.  She held Nick in her arms, his head up about to her chest, the fox obviously unconscious and a hideous mess covered in mud and a fair amount of Judy’s blood.  Her mouth was open, either panting, maybe screaming, she knew she’d done both from the pain, her ears back.  Her eyes were the worst though.  The expression in them was worse than what she’d seen in the eyes of a savage jaguar.  She looked absolutely enraged.  Judy cupped her small muzzle seeing that image of her and her eyes tracked down to the words beneath it in big, hard, bold letters.

 

**_…AND DEATH BACKED AWAY SLOWLY_ **

Vivienne spoke first, her tone outraged.  “How can the paper even publish that?!  That’s terrible - She’s obviously hurt!”  Judy nodded at Bogo, as that was her sentiment as well.  That picture seemed intentionally provided for shock value and to Judy it had so little to do with what actually happened.  She wasn’t scary, she wasn’t mean, she saved her partner.  She was just in terrible pain when that picture was taken.

 

Bogo answered patiently.  “It sells papers, Mrs. Wilde, you know that.  This is a very big deal for the city of Zootopia.”  He closed the paper again and Judy looked at Nick who was looking at her.  His expression was surprised, but compassionate.  He didn’t seem to be upset at the picture at least, but the damage to the department’s public image from that made Judy sure of what was coming.

 

“Chief, I …”  She didn’t even know the right way to apologize for this debacle.  There were better ways to do this, surely, that did not involve committing two class A misdemeanors and traumatizing half the city when they had to see that on the front page of the paper.  The video was probably even worse! 

 

Bogo took advantage of Judy’s inability to string words together to speak first.  “Suffice it to say, Hopps…”  She braced herself.  “… Any suspect you try to stop for a long time is absolutely going to run; probably even if it’s just for a busted tail light.”  Judy blinked at that.

 

“That is supposing I were still on the force.” Judy stated glumly, clarifying the part that he seemed to be dancing around.

 

“Do you think I should remove you from the force?” the chief asked.

 

“No!” Vivienne and Nick both said, Nick putting a paw over his muzzle.  Judy put her ears down.  She knew what she expected.  Officers can’t just do the things she did.

 

Vivienne pleaded.  “Make her pay for the repairs, give her desk duty for a while, but don’t-“  Bogo held up a hand, interrupting the vixen.

 

“Officer Hopps, this is the part I brought up where you put me in a difficult position.” He said.  Judy hung her head apologetically.  He continued.  “On one hand, you did make mistakes and they were pretty big.  On the other hand, you brought back Officer Wilde who the rest of the city was openly mourning.  In the middle of his funeral, I should add.”  Judy looked up at the chief, her eyes round.  Was he actually going to be lenient?  Could she hope for that?  “Hopps, if I were to publicly punish you for any of the things you did to save the life of your partner, even _you_ would be unable to find my body.”  Bogo sounded so cold in the way he said that and Judy gritted her teeth.  She had not expected Bogo would let any of his choices be that affected by public opinion. 

 

“Chief, I understand, but I don’t –“ Judy tried to say.

 

“Do you think you can get the full report of what happened on my desk today, maybe on the way home from the hospital, just… run it by for me?  I have a lot of animals asking a lot of questions that only you have the answers for.  I should really like to stop looking like it’s my first day on the job in front of them.”  He seemed pretty stern about that.  Judy was injured after all.

 

“Yes sir, I could do that.” She said.  She wasn’t sure how right then, but she felt she could.

 

“Good.  There _will_ be consequences for your actions, Officer Hopps.  We will discuss them when you come to drop off your report.”  Bogo placed the folded up newspaper on the bedside table and turned to leave.  He looked at Vivienne, who seemed a little shaken by the thought that Judy could have lost her job for saving Nick.  Nick reached over and held her hand to try to comfort her.  The chief looked over to Nick as he did.  “Officer Wilde?” Bogo said softly.

 

Nick looked up, curiously but not able to talk yet.

 

The chief spoke in an unusually kind tone.  “I am deeply sorry, once again, that our investigation left you in a place like that without hope of help.  If your partner hadn’t been so uncommonly stubborn and worryingly willing to break the rules we would have lost a great officer.  Maybe even two.  Your sacrifices will be recognized and your efforts in the Darmaw case will be rewarded.  Unfortunately you are stuck with Hopps as your partner, so you are going to need to get back to nothing less than 100 percent if you want to stand a chance.  Get better, Wilde.”  And with that, he left.

 

Judy gave a huge sigh of relief on the oversized chair, sinking into it.  Vivienne smiled at her and shook a little, as if trying to work out the adrenalin.  There was a pause as everyone seemed to digest that and Nick picked up the paper again, opening and looking at it.  He seemed sad, seeing Judy in such a state, so Judy took the paper away.  Vivienne took it from Judy however and folded it again, placing it in her purse.

 

“Like it or not, it’s important,” she said softly.  Nick picked up his marker board and wrote on it hastily.  Judy looked over to him and watched.  He flipped the board for her to see.

 

_So wait, how did you know where to look for me if everyone else gave up?_

 

Judy gritted her teeth in discomfort.  She was supposed to keep Duke’s name out of it.  How was she going to do that in her report?  She would just have to express that it was him but that he provided the information on the condition of anonymity.  This was used to protect informants and while he was not specifically that it should shield him from problems involving it.  The bunny finally looked over to her partner and back to his mother.  She had not told her who it was either.

 

She sighed softly and responded, “Duke Weasleton.”  Nick’s mother obviously didn’t know who that was but the look of shock on Nick’s face made it clear he had no trouble remembering that name.  He looked horrified and Judy knew why.  That’s not the kind of mammal someone wanted to owe their life to.  His rapidly written and somewhat sloppy response showed a different take on his feelings about that, however.

 

_You went into that awful place on advice from DUKE?!_

 

Nick resumed his shocked expression.  Judy laughed weakly, her shoulder paining her a bit as she did.  She sighed and nodded slowly.  “I did.  I guess I was willing to look at any possibility and what he said made sense.  So here we are.”  Nick wrote slowly this time and Judy waited.

 

_I will never be as smug as that weasel will be the next time I see him._

 

 

 

 

 

 

With just one hand, even with Nick’s help, it took Judy as long to write her report, which her partner was very interested in reading, as it did for the hospital to process the forms and clear Nick and Judy to go.  After they were cleared, the two were assisted out to the front drive.  Judy’s dad met with them in the new truck, which looked an awful lot like a newer version of the old truck.  Stu always was a creature of habit.  Judy’s mother had stayed at the apartment due to there not being enough room for everyone in the truck.  Nick’s mother had someone else coming to get her as she intended to stay the night with a friend who she had visited a few times while coming to see Nick.  Stu helped Nick carefully into the truck, mindful of his cast and Judy got in the middle between her father and her partner.

 

Judy’s father was surprised to find out that the bunny had to head to work to drop off papers and said he could do it for her, but she informed him that her boss needed to talk to her anyway.  She had to assure him that everything was alright as he immediately became worried.  The drive was short between the hospital and the police station but Nick, who had been given pain medicine to help with the ride, was already asleep.  Stu agreed to stay with Nick while Judy took the documents inside.  She preferred that really as she didn’t want Nick, in his condition, to have ot worry about whatever her punishments were going to be for her disregard for the rules.

 

The police station was initially fairly quiet as she walked in, wearing her regular clothes which her father had brought to the hospital.  It was quiet.  Then Clawhauser spotted her in the lobby.  The piercing squeal was almost unsettling from a creature his size.  Judy smiled warmly up to the big cat and stopped briefly by the front desk to inform him that she was doing better, and that she would be returning to work fairly soon, but likely for on-site stuff for a while, indicating her messed up shoulder. 

 

She managed eventually to escape Clawhauser as he was distracted by a suspicious mammal call.  She made her way to the chief’s office and tapped on the door.  He called her in and she provided the report, getting up again on the too-large chair that she’d sat in many times before.  She had thought she might not sit in it again.  She watched him as he quietly read the report.  She was never exactly sure what part he was reading but he seemed visibly surprised, even upset or disturbed at some of what he was reading.  She hoped that the contents of the report, factual and concise though it was, would not result in the chief changing his mind about keeping Judy as an officer.

 

The chief took his time reading the report and finally put the documents down, pinching the bridge of his nose up between his eyes as he gave a long, slow sigh.  Judy watched a bit longer, unsure of what to say or even if she _should_ say anything.  She was not proud of all the things she did but she was desperate and a bit fatalistic at the time she’d done it.  At first, she really didn’t know that she could willingly remain an officer after what happened to her partner, even with knowing, and having been told, that Nick would never want her to give up her dream.  It seemed, as she considered it in her days of loneliness, her dream was bigger than it used to be, and suddenly included more than just being a cop.

 

Bogo finally spoke, his tone seeming a bit weary.  “Hopps, I would like you to walk with me, are you okay to walk a little bit?”  Judy hopped out of the chair carefully, her body aching all over but most of the pain was bound to her shoulder. 

 

“Yes chief, I can,” she stated with assurance.  He got up in a slow and lumbering fashion, and opened the door, having Judy follow him out.  They walked quietly to the elevator then past the front desk.  Clawhauser did not try to interrupt; he seemed to know that the chief was being serious.  The cheetah watched quietly as the chief led Judy around the corner and down the hall to the cafeteria. 

 

As he walked, he spoke again, his tone deep and calm.  “Officer Hopps, I am less concerned about the legality and wisdom of your actions in your personal mission as described, and a lot more concerned about the danger that you willfully put yourself in.  Did you care if you came back at all?” he asked.  Judy gritted her teeth.  She was determined, and she was desperate, but she was never suicidal.

 

“Certainly I did, Chief!  I went to get Nick, I had the bag, what would be the point in not coming back then?” she said loudly.

 

Bogo sighed.  “You intended to bring what you could find back, yes, but what were you willing to leave behind?  What would have been left after?  This isn’t about being dead or alive, Hopps, this is about you being here for the ones who are still waiting for you.  It’s about you still standing up for the city of Zootopia your partner died to help.”  The word went into her like an arrow and some dark part of her psyche even tried to tell Judy that Nick surviving had been a fantasy she was just now waking up from.  She knew this wasn’t true and chased that dark flicker into the shadows as she answered slowly.

 

“Sir, yes, I was hurting, I won’t lie about that, for more reasons that I expect you care to hear, but I would never have turned away from the rest of my friends and family, or his friends and family.  I would have wanted him to be proud of me.”  As she said it she was not so sure.  She had thought of leaving it all behind, returning home when the pain was at its worst.  But later her mind worked more on a life where she was still helpful to the city she loved.

 

Bogo turned, no longer walking.  Judy stood in front of him, having to look up as she was so much smaller.  He spoke softly.  “I am not worried about the scandal of letting you off too easily, or about the city feeling that a punishment levied against you is fair or unfair, there is a matter here that has hung over my head like an approaching storm since your first day as an officer.”  Bogo put his hand out, against the wall, and where his hand was there was a large open glass display.  This hall leading to the cafeteria had quite a few displays and trophy cases but Judy’s breath hitched a little when she realized which one they were standing in front of.

 

The simple large rectangular case boasted exquisite dark blue velvet interior upon which was fastened in large gleaming polished silver plates the names of every fallen officer of the ZPD.  Bogo kept his hand placed on it, palm wide, as if remembering the officers that were there.  The names spanned all the way back over 160 years.

 

Bogo finally spoke.  “I worked very hard as an officer, Hopps.  I still made mistakes, maybe some even as bad as you, but I never gave in to the worst that the city could throw at me.  I was like you, I gave all of myself to this city for what I hoped would be a better Zootopia, and I feel that I have helped that I have made a difference, but there was one thing that, when I became Chief of Police, I learned I could not actually completely prevent no matter how good a police chief I was.”  Judy put her free hand over her chest, understanding.

 

“Yes, sir.” She said in a very soft tone.

 

Bogo looked sadly at her a moment.  “Judy…”  The bunny looked up, almost startled.  The Chief never used anyone’s first name.  “… It is the unhappy duty of the Chief of Police to attach the names that you see on this wall.  In my time as Chief I have placed six of them here.  I would take a year of parking duty myself if it meant I could avoid putting up another.  There is no more painful, terrible thing I have endured, and nothing I have begged of fate itself not to make me endure again… so much as this one honored and important task.”  Judy swallowed loudly.

 

“I won’t be so reckless, I promise,” she said, feeling like she knew where Chief Bogo was going with this.  Bogo was quiet a moment, almost wistful.

 

He finally spoke.  “When Mayor Lionheart assigned you to my precinct, I was closed-minded and determined that I knew exactly what a bunny could do.  I felt like I should just go ahead and order your plate for this wall and I could have the date etched on it a few weeks after.  That’s how I felt.  I didn’t hate you, Officer Hopps.  I didn’t lament that I had to have a bunny.  I was afraid.  I didn’t want to attach the name of someone so caring and strong to this wall.  When you pushed me to let you work on a case, I spent a long time looking at this memorial to the very courage that I knew would quickly lead you here.  I know strong leadership has kept many officers from ending up here, but I could not keep another name from ever being added no matter how badly I wanted it.  That was a hard day for me, Hopps, but you have surprised and impressed me.  I have never gone easy on you and you have thrived.  However…” 

 

Judy looked up, barely holding back her tears.  This was so completely uncharacteristic of the Chief.  “Yes sir?” she asked, her throat suddenly feeling tight and dry.

 

“I felt like I needed to bring you here to make sure you understood the fate you seem to like to dance awfully close to.  You are cared for, you are loved, and you are wanted by so many to stay a part of the lives of the City of Zootopia.  Do not treat this life as your own Hopps.  When you put on that badge, it is not your own.  You are a part of us.  We are proud to have you as a member of the ZPD.”  No holding them back now.  Tears spilled down her cheeks.  She swept them away self-consciously.  She felt like this was just not the time for that.

 

“I understand,” Judy said in a whisper.

 

“Now for the disciplinary action promised…”  Judy inhaled deeply.  The chief definitely knew how to put her back on the ground.  “You are aware that you will be responsible for the repairs to the tunnel, and due to the sudden notoriety you and your partner will likely be on fluff duty for a while once you are back to your full ability.  You are also aware that due to the fracturing of several laws in the process of your elsewise selfless and admirable act, I am prevented from either providing public honor or even promotion for an incident I feel might have actually warranted both.”  Judy nodded at that.  It was understandable.  She’d not have any misgivings.  Bogo spoke in a softer tone.  “I also require of you a duty I have asked no officer to ever perform, and it’s one that my job description as Chief of Police does not clearly define.  This unique and serious task, for all you have done, shall fall to you.” 

 

“Anything, sir,” Judy stated confidently, looking up at Bogo in earnest.  She assumed it had something to do with repairing the image of the ZPD that was negatively affected by the video and pictures, an apology or a public interview perhaps.  She was way off.

 

Bogo leaned down slowly, his face closer to the small bunny’s.  He spoke in such a soft tone, like a parent to a sleeping kit.  “I have in my days as Chief placed six names in this hallowed display.”  Judy looked back over to the display.  “You, Officer Hopps, will be the first officer ever tasked with removing a name from this memorial.”  Bogo moved his hand down slowly, revealing a slightly brighter, brand new silver plate.  Judy’s eyes widened and then filled with tears.

 

**Officer Nicholas P. Wilde**

_March 19 th, 2017_

 

Judy snapped her attention back to Bogo, unable to speak, unable to breathe.  She saw that he had his large hand extended to her in which he held a, for him, tiny screw driver.  Judy sucked in a breath so tight it made her squeak.  Bogo nodded.  Judy took the screwdriver and, though difficult with one hand, began to perform her special assignment as asked by the Chief of Police.  She gazed at the name as it was so deeply and prominently engraved.  Nothing that had happened since she found Nick had cemented the reality of what had happened as this.  Nothing made every single moment of pain, loss, and fear and joy as deeply engraved as that name had been.

 

One small screw at a time ticked to the floor, and finally, with one of the Chief’s keratin-shrouded fingertips holding the plate in place, the final screw was removed.  Judy then carefully took the plate in her hand.  It felt unexpectedly heavy.  It was thick and sturdy and so smoothly polished.  She offered it to the chief.  He smiled to Judy, his face kinder than she’d ever remembered seeing him.

 

He said in that near-whisper, “I do not want that, it neither belongs on that wall, nor buried somewhere in my desk.  That name belongs, I feel most certain, safely in _your_ care.”  Judy squeaked again, fighting so hard not to cry.  Bogo finally stood up straight and closed and locked the display case quietly as the bunny shook, fighting off her emotions.  He then turned away, stating simply, in his normal gruff tone, “Do not return for work until you have been cleared by medical.”  Bogo walked away, leaving Judy in the hall with Nick’s memorial plate clutched tight in her hand. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ride back to Nick’s apartment, Judy’s home for the time being as well, was a rather quiet one.  The weight of everything Bogo had said was almost suffocating.  She would do everything she could to make sure she was never added to that wall, just as she’d done everything to make sure that Nick had not been added to it.  She pondered showing the plate to her father, but decided it was just too personal.  She wasn’t sure he could understand what it represented to her and thought maybe having it at all was awfully dark.  It would worry him.  It might even worry Nick that she kept it, so she decided that it would not, at least any time soon, be a topic of conversation. 

 

When they got home, it was a task getting a very out of it fox out of the truck, and more of one trying to get him up to his apartment and onto his bed.  The rest of the morning was pleasant as it could possibly be.  Judy’s mother busied herself in the kitchen, making a fuss about how Judy had not been eating well and deserved to be spoiled a little, even baking a cake and setting out some flowers.  While Nick’s room was kept dark as he’d need, the rest of the apartment was lively and the windows cast open seemed to clear the dark miasma that seemed to cling chokingly to the apartment in Nick’s absence. 

 

Judy was emotionally drained from the experience at the ZPD but she assured her parents that everything was okay.  She was spared the worst that went along with her reckless behavior, but that she would be far more considerate to her family and friends in the future if she could.  There was a bit of a down-turn in the mood after Stu went to the store to pick up some supplies they had forgotten to get while they were out shopping the previous day.  He had made the mistake of deciding to purchase a newspaper.  He got it anyway and brought it back to the apartment, figuring his daughter should know what the city had seen.  The front page upset him a lot, but Judy’s mother seemed more understanding.  She claimed that what the image represented was the most important part of the whole story.

 

Bogo, Judy recalled, had felt a similar thing.  It felt like it brought mammals together, particularly where tensions were so raw between predators and prey.  There was a bunny who appeared half dead from saving a fox, protecting him in that moment from the whole world, so it seemed.  When she thought about it like that, it really was kind of beautiful in a raw and strikingly real sort of way.  Maybe she would not mind looking at it more when her head didn’t ache from the injury that blood was from.  She put the paper in a drawer so it would not disturb her father anymore. 

 

A little later Nick came limping slowly out of the bedroom despite being told very sternly that he should stay in bed.  He motioned for his board and won the argument with three carefully drawn words.

 

_Hell was lonely_

 

They couldn’t deny him being social and out in the living room after that.  He was helped over to the couch and Judy and her family let him mostly mellow since he was still on medication, but they let him listen to the conversations and he seemed to kind of follow along or just watch TV.  Judy sat beside him and he seemed to appreciate that too, immediately draping his tail across her lap.  She mindlessly petted it, not caring what her parents thought.  She found that his scent was returning which was, for reasons she now confidently knew, a source of happiness.

 

His medication wore off a little which made him more conversational with his marker board.  He seemed to choose his words carefully with having to write them so he seemed more thoughtful and teased less.  It made her feel like this was more at his core, but then again, with all that happened, maybe he felt less like teasing.  When the food was done he did write “Feed Me!” on the board which was a bit less reserved.  He enjoyed the stir-fry with noodles, but was curbed on his portions by order of the doctor since he was supposed to keep to small meals.  Starving, it seemed, did not do nice things to the digestive tract.  He drew a sad-face at the insistence of Judy’s mother that Nick simply could not have more, but Bonnie certainly seemed flattered that it was important to Nick.  The elder doe loved knowing that her cooking was being enjoyed.

 

Just after dinner there was a tap on the door which had been unexpected.  Judy moved over to answer it as both her parents were a little hesitant.  It was one of those unspoken rules that guests don’t answer the door.  When Judy opened it she found, to her surprise, Angela and Charlie waited on the other side.

 

Judy gasped in surprise.  “How did you two get here?!” she asked.

 

Charlie laughed at that.  “The train of course, you think we would miss you two getting home after that?  Did you see the paper?”  Judy rolled her eyes.  “Yeah, you did.  I don’t need to tell you how fast those sold out in Bunnyburrow.”  Judy blanched at that.  All the people she knew were actually buying that picture of her?  It would be a while before she could go back.  Charlie and Angela walked in uninvited but the assumption was safe.  Nick waved dopily from the couch, mostly off of the pain meds but certainly relaxed.  He’d likely need another dose before he could sleep though.  He was acting pretty tender about moving.

 

Angela grinned at him and asked, “So, how’s it feel to not be dead?” She stood in front of the fox.  Nick picked up his board and wrote on it.

 

_How’s it feel to forget your underwear today?_

 

She gasped loudly and put her hand on her backside, as if the center of scandal.  Nick hastily wrote:

 

_Got You_

 

Judy laughed at that.  That was very much her partner again. 

 

Charlie asked softly, “What’s with the sign anyway, he’s gonna be able to talk again, right?”  Nick wrote on the board again.

 

_I screamed a lot.  I get to talk again in 2 hours and 11 minutes._

 

Charlie winced at that, perhaps thinking he was screaming in pain, not trying to get someone to notice he was down there.  Judy was going to clarify it, but Angela walked forward and handed Nick something.

 

She laughed a bit and murmurs, “From Eli, just for you,” she smirked.  Judy moved around her sister to see what she gave the fox.  In Nick’s hand was a rubber-corked glass bottle full of milk with a cute blue bow around the neck of it.  Judy would normally have been fuming that they would tease Nick in his condition, particularly with something as embarrassing as that, but Nick did tease Angela the moment he saw her. 

 

Judy turned around, facing Angela.  “I suppose you are feeling vindicated about the underwear thing now?” she smiled at her sister.  Angela looked back at her smugly.  Nick scribbled on the marker board.

 

_Put it in the fridge.  These mean bunnies won’t let me have it right now._

 

Judy scoffed at that.  “They said you had to take it easy, that’s the doctors, not us!”  She crossed her arms.  Stu took the bottle and placed it in the fridge, seeming not to even question that the fox might just drink a bottle of bunny milk later.  The level of chill her dad was being about Nick in general was surprising to Judy.  If there was anyone who she thought would be a little skittish or protective about Judy getting so close to the fox, she figured it would be him.  But, he seemed to really like Nick.  Thinking about that, she realized that as of\that moment she wasn’t even sure why either of her parents had gone along with the pranking, but things had been moving too quickly to ask.  She lit up a little as she decided that would be a great topic of conversation to keep things light-hearted and fun.  But there was another knock at the door.  With everything that had happened, Judy supposed they might get visitors pretty frequently for a while.

 

Skye was on the other side.  Judy happily welcomed the white vixen in, but was surprised to find that someone else was right behind her.  Judy’s brother and sister both stood stark still in shock, mouths agape, ears back as Jack Savage stepped into the suddenly smaller-feeling apartment.

 

Skye spoke first, ignoring the expressions of Judy’s siblings.  “We’re just stopping by to say hi and congrats on getting to come home so soon, we’ll be heading out to do some special shopping in a bit.” 

 

Jack smiled at the fox.  “They still got you sniffing markers?”  He seemed casual and jovial with the fox.  Nick wrote on his marker board.

 

_I am.  The green one is the best_

“Oooh, let me try…” he asked teasingly, and Nick shared which was just a comical and playful moment.  To Judy, having spent time with how the pair of them hassled eac other it felt perfectly natural and she almost forgot that her brother and sister has not been warned that such a visit could happen.

 

Angela finally spoke up, a slight crack in her voice.  “What?”

 

Jack smiled at the other two rabbits he’d not met, and moved over to them, offering a paw to shake.  “Sorry!” he chimed, “I’m one of Nick and Judy’s friends.  I’m Jack.”  Angela took the striped bunny’s paw and shook timidly.

 

“I know…  I just didn’t know you knew my sister.  I’m Angela,” she said with an unsteady voice.

 

Judy’s brother spoke up.  “Charlie,” he stated.  Jack greeted him as well.  Charlie seemed less taken aback once he got the chance to adjust to the fact that Jack wasn’t just in the wrong apartment or something.

 

“It would seem Judy forgot to tell us something,” Angela said in a slow and measured tone.

 

Bonnie spoke up.  “That was my fault.  Things have been so crazy I forgot to mention it.”  She smiled innocently at her and promptly got a death-glare from Angela.  Jack laughed at that and nodded to Nick and Judy.

 

Charlie spoke again.  “What kind of shopping are you doing…?”  He was addressing the vixen.

 

She answered, hugging him instead of shaking his hand.  It seemed Skye was aware of the bunny preference in greeting.  For some reason this appeared to delight Charlie.  She answered, “Skye, I’m one of Judy’s neighbors.  Well, I don’t know if you knew but I wrecked my car helping out Nick and Judy with that whole Park Nighthowler incident.”

 

Charlie gasped, “That was you?  Wow!  I heard about that.  You took out the whole billboard with him on it!”  She nodded proudly.  Judy was glad that Skye was not shy about taking some of the credit for what happened.

 

She continued, “Well, I’m gonna go get another car.”  Judy patted her knee by way of applause since she couldn’t use both hands.

 

“I’m happy for you!  Insurance?” the bunny officer asked.

 

Skye shook her head, face turning sour.  “They won’t cover it since I intentionally wrecked the car, _and_ it was over 20 years old, _and_ it was modified outside of safety standards, they said.  Just because I fixed it up nice doesn’t change that.”  She shrugged.

 

Judy winced at that bit of unfortunate news.  “That’s awful!  You’d think with what you had done they would be a little more understanding!”  Judy wondered a moment if she could get the city to pay for the repairs or for her to get another.  It seemed like the least they could do with her risking her life to save mammals the way she did. 

 

Skye responded.  “Well, Jack, knowing what I did and who I dealt with first hand, decided to help me out with that, and I have graciously accepted so long as I get to drive him around in it.”  She grinned.  Nick scribbled on the marker board.

 

_Make him buy a brand new shiny powerful sports car!_

 

Jack laughed at that.  “Wow, lay off the markers, fox!”  Nick quiet-laughed.  He seemed in really good cheer, but he may have been lamenting what happened to that nice car himself.  He seemed quite impressed with it the short time he got to experience it.  This might just as well have been as big a relief to him as it was to Skye.

 

The vixen shook her head to Nick and finally replied.  “Actually, I wanted another project car, something I could build up and make my own, that’s what I loved about the other one.  So Jack knows a mammal who deals in those kinds of things, helps with movie props and the like sometimes.  We’re gonna go see him.  After dinner.”  She nodded at that with a grin obviously for Judy.

 

Judy blushed just a little, actually seriously wondering if Skye meant to imply that her friendship with Jack was going somewhere.  That would have been completely unbelievable; they were from two very different worlds.  They were so different, but standing there together they seemed really comfortable together.  It didn’t seem so far-fetched when she really looked at them together. 

 

Judy was shaken from her musings as Angela finally spoke again.  She said in an again wavering tone, “I have… so many things I want to ask, to talk about, but I know you don’t have much time.  Would you be alright if I get a picture with you?  I wasn’t something to gloat about at home.”  Judy rolled her eyes, sure that Jack, being a bit of a photo-hog, would not mind.  Indeed he did not, but insisted that Nick and Judy and Skye were in the picture as well.  Charlie also asked to be in it, though stating coolly that he just didn’t want to be left out of the fun.  They took a moment to get a few shots, and then Skye gave out hugs all around again, Jack hugged Angela and Bonnie, Stu shook hands, and then off they went.

 

The next hour or so was spent trying to explain, on condition of non-disclosure, what had happened with Jack and why he was there, then laughing at the reactions of some of Judy’s other siblings over the image that was texted to them.  Judy’s mom said it was alright to send the picture since the notoriety Judy already had of late was not going to change with that.  Judy felt a little better about Jack with him offering to help Skye get a new car, but still felt that it was shameful that the insurance company just didn’t care.  She’d have to make sure she was not insured under the same company. 

 

Angela and Charlie eventually needed to leave since they had to check into a hotel still and they did not want it to get too late that it was impossible to find a room.  Hugs were shared all around again.  Judy and Nick expressed that they were both grateful for the surprise visit.  Judy’s brother and sister finally headed off with Angela promising to bend the hell out of Judy’s ear later about her knowing Jack and not saying anything.

 

As the evening wore on, they got one final visitor, the one they actually expected to show up.  Nick had wanted her to stop by a little while after she had dinner with her friend, so Vivienne arrived after the sun had set.  She was there to check up on her son and make sure he was doing well before rejoining her friend who was having some coffee at the place just down the road. 

 

Nick was obviously tired at that point, and while he’d had a snack just before Vivienne arrived he said he was hungry.  Judy suspected she’d have a few days of that.  Vivienne scolded Nick a little for not having taken his dose of pain medicine but Nick stated on his marker board that he didn’t need it until bed time, and then pointed at the clock.  Judy looked up and the realized what he was pointing out.

 

She grinned mirthfully at her partner and said playfully, “Oh I get it.  You get to talk in just a minute, don’t you?”  Nick grinned brightly, that hopeful smile that always choked up Vivienne, which it did once again.  She took away her son’s marker board, happy that he was not going to need it.  Bonnie and Stu collected their things, preparing to head out for the evening, but they decided to stay for Nick’s finally being able to talk again, as that seemed the appropriate thing to do for their fox friend on the mend. 

 

Judy slowly circled the couch as she teased Nick a little.  “I was so enjoying our quiet little chats, Nick.  I’ll always miss that.  But two whole days and you haven’t been able to say a word!  It must have been the most brutal part of it all, huh?” she asked, and her partner nodded, his face looking melodramatically sad.  She leaned back and crossed her arms.  “So then, here we go.  All the taunts, teasing, puns, jokes, side-comments, and other smug things you’ve needed to say for days.  I am braced, I am ready, let’s have it!”  Nick grinned excitedly, ears back, eyes wide looking excited.  He took both of Judy’s paws in his.  She prepared herself for a tirade of playful insults and other foxy foolishness. 

 

Then his expression changed.  He looked serious as he gazed into her eyes.  His ears drew up tall and focused and he looked over to his mother who stood a few feet away smiling to him.  He then looked to Judy’s mom and dad who had their things in hands, waiting for what he was going to say, both smiling encouragingly.  Nick looked back at his partner, his emerald eyes locking on hers.  She swallowed nervously at the shift in mood.  She knew full well he was able ot tease her in front of his mother and her parents he’d done it so much before.

 

“Judy…” he said, as if to test his voice.  It was normal, though soft and careful.  Judy perked her ears instinctively since he used her name, her heart beating a little faster as he gained her full attention, not able to look away.

 

Nick then spoke in a soft tone, eyes never leaving hers.  His speech was confident, calm, and slow,

 

_“All that I am, all that I was, all that I ever will be, I give unto thee…”_


End file.
